A U.S. judge on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump’s motion to have E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against him dismissed, adding to the massive amount of legal trouble the 45th president is facing as he runs for re-election.
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan found Trump’s bid for dismissal was “without merit,” according to CNN, and said Trump’s claim, that he is immune to the lawsuit because he was president when he made the statements about Carroll, can no longer be used as a defense.
“There is no basis to risk prolonging the resolution of this litigation further by permitting Mr. Trump to raise his absolute immunity defense now at the eleventh hour when he could have done so years ago,” Judge Kaplan wrote, according to the outlet.
The Backdrop: Carroll won a $5 million settlement on May 9 in a rape defamation trial after a Manhattan jury found the former president liable for sexual assault and for battering and defaming her.
In June, Carroll received approval from Judge Kaplan to proceed with a second defamation case against Trump, this time for $10 million in damages, which Trump sought to have dismissed, and which was denied Thursday.
The second lawsuit against Trump is expected to go to trial in early 2024 and further legal motions remain before a jury will hear the case, according to the publication.
Trump is countersuing Carroll for defamation for claiming she was raped in a department store dressing room when she appeared on CNN to discuss the previous trial the day following the verdict. The jury found Trump was guilty of sexual assault but not rape.
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