According to author E. Jean Carroll, rape occurred in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in late 1995 or early 1996, and she has accused former president Donald Trump of it (via AOL).
Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, charges Trump with defamation and says that after she made the allegations, he purposefully damaged her reputation.
Carroll specifically cites a 2022 post on Truth Social made by Trump, in which he alleged that Carroll and her case were a “complete con job” and “a hoax and a lie.”
Carroll has stuck to her story and moved forward with legal action in a civil case because the statute of limitations has passed on a potential criminal claim, despite Trump’s very public and direct denial.
Although Joe Tacopina, Donald Trump’s attorney, wrote an 18-page letter asking for a mistrial, Trump has not personally attended any part of the trial thus far and has been vacationing in Scotland and Ireland. Tacopina accused U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of bias against Trump in the letter (via AOL).
Tacopina asserted in his letter that Kaplan’s decisions had been “unfair and prejudicial” and had revealed “a deeper leaning towards one party over another.” Furthermore, Tacopina asserted that the judge’s remarks “openly” expressed “favoritism.”
However, this motion for a mistrial has been formally rejected.
Carroll detailed the alleged rape to the jury last week, but Trump’s attorney questioned why she hadn’t screamed.
