Former US president Trump asks for new trial in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

Nearly a month after Former United States President Donald Trump was found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation of magazine writer E. Jean Carroll by a US court, his lawyers on Thursday (June 8) asked for a new trial in the civil case. This also comes after the nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court awarded about $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages to Carroll.

What have Trump’s lawyers said?

According to Reuters, the request was filed at the Manhattan federal court where Trump’s lawyers called the jury’s $2 million award for the sexual abuse portion of the verdict “excessive” as the six-men and the three-women jury had found that Carroll was not raped.

Additionally, the conduct Carroll alleged did not cause any diagnosed mental injury, the court filing by the former US president’s lawyers said. Trump should also pay around $2 million in damages for her civil battery claim, the jury had found last month.

ALSO READ |US jury holds Trump guilty of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, orders him to pay $5mn damages

The former president was asked to pay nearly $2.7 million in damages to Carroll, the jury found, after she successfully proved her defamation claim against him. The jury has awarded a total of about $5 million to the writer, in what was being viewed as a significant defeat for the former president.

However, Trump’s lawyerssaid that the $2.7 million awarded to Carroll for the defamation claim was “based upon pure speculation.” This also comes as the former president has denied these allegations and has appealed the verdict.

‘Double recovery’: Trump’s lawyers onsecond lawsuit

The former president’s lawyers have also said that Carroll is seeking “double recovery” with the second lawsuit and argued jury’s awards were out of proportion to similar cases asking US District Judge Lewis Kaplan to at least reduce the amount if he chooses to reject their bid for a new trial.

ALSO READ |E. Jean Carroll might sue Trump over CNN town hall remarks

This comes as Carroll had filed a separate lawsuit in 2019 accusing Trump of defamation and it was not until last year that a second lawsuit for both defamation and battery was filed after New York passed a law which granted sexual assault victims more time to sue even if the statute of limitations had passed.

Meanwhile, Carroll, late last month had sought to amend the 2019 lawsuit with a claim for $10 million in additional damages over Trump’s comments during a CNN town hall where he was yet again, insulting and demeaning Carroll and her experience.

During the CNN event, the former president called the account of a sexual assault a “fake” and “made-up story,” while referring to it as “hanky-panky”. The several disparaging comments elicited applause and laughter from the audience which consisted of Republicans and independent voters.

What was the former US president accused of?

The former magazine advice columnist who first publicly aired her allegations against Trump in 2019, accused the former president of raping her at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York, back in the 1990s.

ALSO READ |Donald Trump defends ‘Grab ‘em by the p***y’ remark during civil rape trial

Carroll said after raping her, Trump defamed her when she spoke the truth. Carroll had sued Trump for battery and defamation in a civil trial. Carroll denied making up her claims to drive publicity for her memoir, “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal,” during the cross-examination, last month.

(With inputs from agencies)

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