E. Jean Carroll, former U.S. President Donald Trump rape accuser, arrives at Manhattan Federal Court for the continuation of the civil case, in New York City, U.S., May 9, 2023. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
NEW YORK 鈥� Writer E. Jean Carroll sought on Monday to amend the first of her two defamation lawsuits against Donald Trump to demand at least $10 million in additional damages, citing comments he made on CNN after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing her.
A federal jury in Manhattan on May 9 found Trump sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by lying about it in October 2022. The jury ordered him to pay Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump has appealed the verdict and has called Carroll鈥檚 claims a 鈥渃omplete con job.鈥�
On Monday, Carroll鈥檚 lawyers pointed to Trump鈥檚 posts on Truth Social calling the verdict a 鈥渄isgrace鈥� and criticism of Carroll on CNN on May 10 in arguing that she should be allowed to amend her earlier lawsuit, which alleges Trump defamed her by denying the incident in 2019 comments, while he was president.
鈥淭rump鈥檚 defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will or spite,鈥� her lawyers wrote. 鈥淭his conduct supports a very substantial punitive damages award.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Carroll testified at trial that Trump lured her into a dressing room in the lingerie section at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then slammed her against a wall and raped her. Two of Carroll鈥檚 friends told jurors that she told them about the incident shortly after it happened.
During a CNN town hall the day after the verdict, Trump said he 鈥渘ever met this woman鈥� and called Carroll鈥檚 account a 鈥渇ake,鈥� 鈥渕ade up story鈥� invented by a 鈥渨hack job.鈥� Those statements are the basis of Carroll鈥檚 new filings.
Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, filed her second lawsuit for both defamation and battery after New York passed a law giving sexual assault victims a new window to sue even if the statute of limitations had passed.
Her original Nov 2019 lawsuit has been bogged down in appeals over whether Trump was immune from being sued because he had been president when he spoke.
Carroll鈥檚 lawyers said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Monday that because Trump鈥檚 alleged defamatory statements were essentially the same, the only open issues are whether he was immune for making the first statement, and if not what damages he owes.
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