Lawsuit against Donald Trump by writer who accuses him of rape

[April 25, 2023]  By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Here are some facts about the civil lawsuit going to trial on Tuesday brought by former Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll against former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom she accuses of rape.

TRUMP ACCUSED OF RAPE

Carroll has accused Trump of having sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Midtown Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.

She said Trump recognized her, calling her "that advice lady," and asked for help buying a gift for another woman.

Trump, according to Carroll, later "maneuvered" her into the dressing room where he closed the door, forced her against a wall, pulled down her tights and penetrated her, before she broke free. She said the attack lasted two to three minutes.

Carroll said she confided in another author and a local TV news anchor about the alleged rape, but did not tell police.

She said she decided to speak out after many women accused the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sparking the #MeToo movement, and that she owed her readers "the truth."

Trump denies that he raped Carroll.

WRITER FILES CIVIL LAWSUITS

Carroll disclosed Trump's alleged attack in New York magazine in June 2019, as she prepared to release her memoir.

Asked about the claim, Trump, who was then president, told a reporter at the White House that the rape never happened and Carroll was "not my type."

Carroll sued Trump for defamation in November 2019. That case remains pending.

In October 2022, Trump, by then out of the White House, repeated his denials on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump called the "Ms. Bergdorf Goodman case" a "complete con job," a "hoax," a "lie" and a "complete Scam," and said he had not known Carroll and that she was "not my type!"

Carroll sued Trump again for defamation in November 2022.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

She also added a battery claim under the Adult Survivors Act, a new state law in New York giving adults a one-year window to sue their alleged attackers even if statutes of limitations have long expired.

Trump has been deposed, and called Carroll a liar. He also mistook Carroll for Marla Maples, to whom he was married when the alleged rape occurred, when shown a photo of Carroll.

TRUMP NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND TRIAL

Trump is not required to attend the trial. His lawyers have said Trump wishes to attend, but may not because of the heavy traffic and tight security that his appearance would draw.

Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential campaign, has a New Hampshire campaign stop scheduled for Thursday, during the trial.

Carroll's lawyers have said they do not intend to call Trump as a witness.

Possible witnesses include the two friends in whom Carroll said she confided, Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin, and two other women who claim that Trump assaulted them, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff. Trump has denied their accusations.

The trial judge, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, ruled that jurors will be anonymous, citing the threat they may be harassed by Trump supporters.

He also said Trump had "repeatedly" attacked courts, judges, law enforcement and even individual jurors, including the foreperson of the grand jury looking into whether Trump tried to sway the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The trial may last one to two weeks.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)

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