In a remarkable turn of events, the defamation lawsuit filed by former First Lady E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump has reached an important milestone. The trial date, eagerly awaited by many, has been firmly set.
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who has consistently denied Trump’s requests for trial delays, filed a scheduling order on Thursday. It states, “Unless this case previously has been entirely disposed of, trial of this action shall commence on January 15, 2024, absent contrary order of the Court.”
Adding further complexity to the legal battle, the federal judge in New York City granted Carroll permission to include punitive damages in her original complaint, initially filed in November 2019. Seeking a substantial sum, Carroll is pursuing $10 million in compensation from the former president.
The allegation made by Carroll, accusing Trump of rape during the mid-1990s, has been met with vehement denials from Trump himself. However, a Manhattan jury delivered a significant blow to Trump in May when they found him guilty of slander and sexual assault, awarding Carroll $5 million.
Just one day after the damning verdict in the civil rape trial, Trump took to national television during a CNN presidential town hall and launched a scathing attack on Carroll. He dismissed the case as “fake news,” describing it as a “made-up story” concocted by a supposed “wack job.” The audience’s reaction revealed a mix of emotions, from astonishment to amusement.
As Trump sets his sights on a potential presidential run in 2024, he finds himself entangled in a web of legal troubles. The recent guilty verdict in Carroll’s defamation lawsuit is just one of many challenges he faces. Another high-stakes trial looms on the horizon: the $250 million business fraud lawsuit brought forth by New York Attorney General Letitia James and directed at Trump and his family members. This legal battle is slated to commence in October 2023.
Meanwhile, a district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, has initiated an investigation into Trump’s potential efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, adding to the mounting legal pressure.
Amidst these legal entanglements, Trump has also refused to cooperate with a subpoena issued by a House committee investigating the Capitol incident. His defiance raises serious questions and, just this week, Trump was formally charged with federal crimes related to the withholding of secret records following his departure from office. The legal saga surrounding the former president continues to unfold, making waves in both the political and legal realms.