New Comments Spark Updated Defamation Lawsuit Amid Ongoing Legal Battles
Donald Trump has launched another defamatory attack on E. Jean Carroll just hours after her legal team sought to amend her existing defamation lawsuit against him. This comes on the heels of a jury finding him liable for sexual assault and defamation in a separate case.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, filed a proposed update to the $10 million civil court complaint in Manhattan on Monday, aiming to include comments Trump made during a CNN town hall shortly after the jury’s verdict. In response, Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning to make disparaging remarks, claiming, “I don’t know E. Jean Carroll, I never met her or touched her… IT NEVER HAPPENED, IS A TOTAL SCAM, UNFAIR TRIAL!”
Trump’s statement echoed previous unfounded accusations against Carroll, including a claim about her husband, which she has denied. Kaplan’s amended lawsuit notes that Trump reiterated his prior defamatory statements during the town hall, dismissing Carroll’s account, which had just been validated by a jury, as a “fake” and “made up story.” The audience’s enthusiastic reaction further complicates the legal landscape.
Carroll originally sued Trump for defamation after he vehemently denied her allegations from her 2019 memoir, in which she claimed he assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s. In 2022, Carroll filed a separate lawsuit for battery and defamation after a new law allowed survivors of sexual assault to sue regardless of when the alleged incidents occurred. A jury awarded her $5 million in damages on May 9, finding her claims credible.
Following the verdict, Trump appeared on CNN, where he labeled Carroll’s claims “fake” and reiterated his denial of any wrongdoing. Carroll responded to his comments, calling them “stupid, disgusting and vile.”
Carroll’s initial defamation lawsuit is still pending, complicated by Trump’s request for the Justice Department to defend him, which has stalled proceedings. Kaplan stated that Trump has attempted to delay the case at every turn.
During the trial, Carroll recounted her encounter with Trump in 1996, describing a friendly initial interaction that turned violent when he led her to a dressing room and assaulted her. She testified about her fear of coming forward, having only confided in two close friends.
Despite claiming he was denied a fair trial, Trump chose not to testify, with the jury instead hearing the infamous Access Hollywood tapes, where he boasted about his ability to sexually assault women without consequence.
