As the legal battle surrounding former President Donald Trump’s alleged misconduct with women continues, the focus has shifted to the jury selection in a lawsuit accusing him of rape.
The lawsuit is spearheaded by E. Jean Carroll, a well-known American journalist and advice columnist. She claims that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s in a fitting room of Bergdorf Goodman, a high-end New York City department store.
Trump is not expected to appear in court but has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “a complete con job.” Carroll, on the other hand, remains steadfast, presenting the case as a fight for justice against Trump—a symbol of influential men who have long escaped the consequences of their actions.
Jury selection began on Tuesday, April 25th, and US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, overseeing the rape and defamation lawsuit against Trump, appeared to subtly discourage the former president from publicly discussing the case.
Trump was not present during jury selection at the Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
Before potential jurors entered the room, Judge Kaplan urged lawyers for both parties to caution their clients against making any statements that could provoke violence or civil unrest.
Judge Kaplan emphasized that his warning was not an accusation of wrongdoing from either side, but rather an effort to prevent issues from arising later in the trial.
Carroll first made headlines in June 2019 when she accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump denied the allegations and called them “fake news,” famously saying of Carroll, “She’s not my type.” The case went to court, but in 2021, a judge ruled that the US government could not replace Trump as the defendant in the lawsuit, ending Carroll’s legal battle against him.
The judge decided that Trump’s denial of Carroll’s allegations was made while performing his presidential duties, which required the substitution of the US government as the defendant. However, the judge also found that Trump’s statements about Carroll were not within his official capacity as president, preventing the government from serving as the defendant. The judge then dismissed Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Trump, delivering a significant setback to her efforts to hold him responsible for the alleged assault and its aftermath.
However, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals has revived Carroll’s original case, sending it back to the district court judge who initially ruled that Trump’s denial and alleged defamation of Carroll did not fall within the scope of his presidential duties.
In November, Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Trump based on the same rape accusation but including additional instances of defamation and a battery charge under a New York law that allows adult victims to sue even if the alleged sexual assault occurred years earlier. Carroll’s attorneys have stated they will not call Trump to testify but will present excerpts from a deposition he gave as part of the case.
