A judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to toss out defamation claims by columnist E. Jean Carroll
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s claims that absolute presidential immunity and free speech rights shield him from the defamation claims of a New York columnist were rejected Thursday by a federal judge. After a jury returned its verdict last month in Manhattan federal court, Trump made comments on a CNN town hall that prompted Carroll to assert new defamation claims in a 2020 defamation lawsuit. “Instead, he accused Ms. Carroll of lying about him sexually assaulting her in order to increase sales of her book, gain publicity, and/or carry out a political agenda.” The judge said the main purpose of presidential immunity was to avoid diverting the president from public duties, but it was not a “get-out-of-damages-liability-free card that permits the president to say or do anything he or she desires even if that conduct is disconnected entirely from an official function.” Kaplan said he took into consideration that Carroll is now 79 years old and has pursued claims against Trump for 3 1/2 years. Attorney Robbie Kaplan, who represents Carroll and is unrelated to the judge, said in a statement that the judge’s ruling “confirms that once again, Donald Trump’s supposed defenses to E. Jean Carroll’s defamation claims don’t work.” She added: “Today’s decision removes one more impediment to the January 15 trial on E Jean’s defamation damages in this case.” The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.
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