Ms. Carroll brought the suit against the former president in 2019, and district judge Lewis Kaplan wrote that the trial has yet to begin largely due to President Trump’s “repeated efforts to delay,” and that he has already made four such requests.
Last December, President Trump filed a motion asserting presidential immunity for his 2019 statements, which the court rejected and he appealed. The latest request to delay the trial was based on the need to wait for his latest appeal.
“Mr. Trump contends that this case should be stayed pending appeal because (1) there is a substantial likelihood he will succeed in his appeal, (2) he would suffer irreparable harm in the absence of a stay, (3) a stay would not harm Ms. Carroll, and (4) the public interest favors a stay. His argument fails on each criterion,” Judge Kaplan wrote.
Carroll Lawsuits
In 2019, Ms. Carroll made statements that in the mid-1990s, President Trump allegedly sexually assaulted her in a department store, after which he issued public statements that he had never met her and made up the accusation for improper and ulterior purposes. This lawsuit regards defamation in the public statements President Trump made.The case was initially in the state court, where President Trump requested a delay because he was defending another case, but the request was denied. The case was then moved to federal court.
Later, the Department of Justice filed a motion on his behalf arguing that, as an “employee” of the United States, he made his public statement “within the scope of his employment as president” and therefore, under the Westfall Act, the defendant should be named the United States. This was also denied.
When the court denied a third appeal for a delay, it wrote “The defendant should not be permitted to run the clock out on plaintiff’s attempt to gain a remedy for what allegedly was a serious wrong.”
President Trump’s request for a delay claims that a delay would cause Ms. Carroll minimal harm, which the court rejected.
“His argument mistakenly conflates the relief Ms. Carroll was awarded in Carroll II (which now is pending on appeal) and the relief she seeks for the distinct injuries she allegedly suffered as a result of the alleged defamation asserted in this case,” Judge Kaplan wrote.
Other Trial Dates
In addition to the Jan. 2, 2024 trial date proposed by prosecution special counsel Jack Smith in the criminal case President Trump faces, he is looking at a May 2024 trial date in a criminal case where he allegedly mishandled classified documents.In New York, a separate criminal case alleging mishandling business finances is set for March 2024.
In another case related to the 2020 elections, in state court as it relates to the Georgia general elections, prosecutor Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed a trial date of March 4, 2024.
