The libel trial brought by an author against Donald Trump continues on Thursday in New York in the presence of the former President of the United States, who is due to testify there following his victory in the Republican primary in New Hampshire.
The businessman and political tribune, who is inching closer to a presidential rematch against Joe Biden in November, returned to New York on Wednesday evening and left his Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday morning to enter the courthouse from the south of New York Island an AFP photographer.
Since January 16th, a former columnist for the American edition of Elle magazine, Elizabeth Jean Carroll, 80, has been in this civil case against Donald Trump, 77, against whom she ordered him to pay five million US dollars in civil court in May 2023 won compensation for sexual assault in 1996 and for the first time for defamation.
For eight days, the former tenant of the White House shuttled between his campaign events in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire and the federal courthouse in New York, dreaming of a return there and emerging strengthened by his victories in the primaries on January 15th and 23rd. must testify on Thursday to defend himself.
This hearing was canceled on Monday due to the Covid suspicion of a juror and a lawyer and was postponed several times until this Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, Donald Trump launched on his Truth Social platform no less than 37 attacks against his complainant E. Jean Carroll, whom he has continued to denigrate and insult for months, calling her a “crazy”, “false story” “never in ( seen in his) life”.
This despite an initial resounding verdict in May, handed down unanimously by a popular jury in the same New York federal civil court, finding him guilty of “sexual assault” and defamation.
This second trial, which is not an appeal hearing, stems from a libel lawsuit brought by the writer and former journalist over comments made by Mr. Trump in June 2019, when she first accused him of rape in a book.
The then President of the United States (2017-2021) said that the woman, who was “not his type,” made everything up to “sell a new book.” The proceedings had been delayed, but this second trial was maintained.
The plaintiff is demanding more than ten million dollars for moral and professional damages.
Donald Trump is also the subject of four criminal cases this election year.
published January 25 at 5:42 p.m., AFP
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