Trump denies assault claims as he appeals $5M ruling

In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. In court on Friday, Trump denied ever meeting Carroll and dismissed her claims as false.

Trump has been facing several legal issues and blamed his lawyers for the jury’s decision. (AP photo)

Donald Trump has denied claims made by writer E. Jean Carroll that he sexually assaulted and defamed her. He called her accusations “fabricated” and “made up” during a court appearance on Friday. His comments came as his lawyers tried to overturn a $5 million judgment against him.

In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll and defaming her, leading to the hefty fine. Trump, who was present in court as his lawyers appealed the decision, repeated his claim that he never met Carroll and called her story false.

“This whole thing started with the political campaign of Harris, who’s having a bad time,” Trump said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris. He continued to argue that the allegations against him were untrue.

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said Carroll might file a new defamation lawsuit and that all legal options are being considered. Kaplan criticized Trump’s continued denials and defended Carroll’s account, saying it was supported by key witnesses.

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Trump’s lawyers argued in court that Carroll’s claims were “implausible” and that the evidence was “inflamed” and “inadmissible.” They also tried to disqualify the testimonies of two other witnesses who had similar claims against Trump, calling the case a “he said, she said” situation.

Kaplan argued that Trump did indeed assault Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996 and then defamed her in 2022. She also defended the credibility of the two witnesses, stating their testimonies helped show a pattern of behavior.

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Trump has been facing several legal issues and blamed his lawyers for the jury’s decision. He has attended and briefly testified at other related trials.

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In addition to this case, Trump is awaiting sentencing in a separate criminal trial for falsifying business records related to hush-money payments. The judge in that case, Juan Merchan, is expected to decide soon whether to delay sentencing until after the election.

(With inputs from BBC)

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