Writer E. Jean Carroll, whose claims of defamation implicating former President Donald Trump spurred a federal trial currently underway in New York, has the opportunity to sue Trump a third time after his latest antagonistic comments towards her related to trial, a lawyer told Newsweek.
Bryan M. Sullivan, identified as an attorney actually for the president’s son Hunter Biden, shared the insights. “She can sue him a third time, and precedence has been established from the first two cases. The damages would likely be increased the third time,” he told the outlet. Other consequences could include restrictions on further comments made by Trump about Carroll’s underlying allegations that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, his antagonistic responses to which led to the defamation claims. The initial claims of sexual assault were handled by an earlier (civil) trial before jurors who upheld, in general terms, Carroll’s account of what happened.
Carroll has already brought civil claims against Trump related to statements he made both as president and after leaving office, the latter of which all-but-ensured he’d face the prospect of serious consequences for his comments. Trump’s statements against Carroll’s claims as president were initially the subject of lengthy legal disputes over whether legal protections (in a civil context) for presidents extended to what he’d said. Trump’s continued rants after leaving office meant he could likely face at least some legal push completely regardless of the outcome of those immunity disputes.
There is precedent elsewhere too for multiple rounds of legal action over statements in Trump’s circles alleged to be defamatory. Rudy Giuliani, known mostly these days for his closeness to Trump, was sued a second time by former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss after he kept pushing the debunked conspiracy theories that they were involved in imaginary election fraud despite a first lawsuit. The first case produced $148 million in penalties. Freeman and Moss weren’t seeking additional financial penalties in the second case.
