As outlined in an article published by The New York Times on Thursday, there is a possibility of yet another defamation case for Donald Trump after the former president maligned writer E. Jean Carroll during a town hall with CNN held in recent days.
Carroll brought the civil claims against Trump of defamation and sexual battery that were recently the subject of a trial in New York, and in both matters, the jury — deliberating for just an early afternoon — ruled fundamentally in Carroll’s favor, imposing a total of millions of dollars in financial penalties on Trump, though his side has since filed an unsurprising appeal. On CNN, Trump ranted against Carroll in the context of the then-recent jury verdict, again denying that there was any core truth to Carroll’s claims and broadly impugning her credibility. The Times cited Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, in its reporting on the possibility of further defamation claims against Trump, who still has other such claims pending in court over comments he made as president.
At issue in that matter has been whether protections associated with responsibilities and expectations of the presidency can shield Donald from legal liability tied to comments about Carroll he made while in office. The defamation claims that went to trial were over a rant Trump posted on Truth Social (his knock-off social media platform) once out of office. He acknowledged in those initial remarks that he probably shouldn’t have been commenting as such, legally speaking — but clearly that didn’t stop him. “Ms. Kaplan, [Carroll’s] lawyer, said Thursday that a decision would be made soon on whether Ms. Carroll will file another defamation suit in light of Mr. Trump’s comments on CNN,” the Times said.
In discussion with the Times, Carroll also indicated she is, at least in some respects, prepared to move on from circumstances connected to the abuse that jurors agreed Trump inflicted. “Yes, I’m going to do it,” she remarked of taking action in areas of her personal life including romantic connections. “I’m going to do it, so watch out.” Elsewhere, Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina cited that he has daughters in trying to defend his harsh treatment of Carroll during examination on the stand at trial, as though that means he’s fine. Beyond the hush money case that has also emerged in New York, Trump could still face criminal charges in other matters, including over his election meddling, as various probes continue.
