E. Jean Carroll plots new lawsuit against Donald Trump as she doubles down on 1990s rape claim

A writer who accused Donald Trump of raping her more than a quarter of a century ago plans to file a new lawsuit against the former US president, whose lawyer called the attempt “extremely detrimental.”

In a letter made public Tuesday, an attorney for E. Jean Carroll said the magazine’s former Elle columnist plans to sue Trump for assault and willful infliction of emotional distress under the state’s Adult Survivors Act. New York.

That law, recently signed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, gives adult prosecutors one year to file civil claims for alleged sexual misconduct, regardless of how long ago it happened.

Carroll has accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman department store in midtown Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.

Trump has denied raping Carroll, accusing her of fabricating the rape claim in order to sell her book.

Trump has denied raping Carroll, accusing her of making up the rape claim to sell her book

Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said her client plans to indict Trump on Nov. 24 when the state law goes into effect, and that the claims and Carroll’s existing defamation lawsuit against Trump could be tried together in February 2023.

In a letter to Kaplan, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said Trump “firmly” objected to combining the two cases after both sides had finished collecting evidence for the trial, and that it was “extremely disadvantageous” to try the new claims. to add.

“If the plaintiff were to drastically change the scope and subject matter of this case at such a time, it would seriously damage the rights of the defendant,” Habba wrote. “Plaintiff’s request must be ignored in its entirety.”

Kaplan also said she now wants Trump to testify under oath to impeachment, to better understand his “theory of the matter,” despite saying in February that impeachment would not be necessary.

“To be clear, the Defendant’s deposition does not have to last very long,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan’s letter is dated August 8, and Habba’s is dated August 11. They were made public on Tuesday afternoon. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan is overseeing the case.

Trump faces a series of lawsuits and investigations, including his efforts to undo the 2020 US presidential election and refusal to hand over several documents.

Carroll has accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in midtown Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.

Trump (left) has denied ever meeting Carroll (second from left), but they were photographed speaking at an event in 1987

In August, Trump invoked his constitutional right to self-incrimination more than 400 times during a statement by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is conducting a civil investigation into the business practices of his namesake Trump Organization.

Trump and Carroll are still awaiting a decision from the Manhattan federal appeals court on whether Carroll’s defamation lawsuit can go ahead at all.

Carroll was charged in November 2019 after Trump, then in his third year in the White House, told a reporter that Carroll had made up the rape allegation and that he didn’t know her and “she’s not my type.”

Trump has argued that he was shielded from the lawsuit by a federal law that provides immunity to government employees from charges of defamation.

Both parties filed their objections in December last year.

Carroll’s lawyers have said they want to obtain a DNA sample from Trump to compare with a dress Carroll allegedly wore during the alleged rape.