A closer look at the ongoing sexual assault case – Hollywood Life

Former President Donald Trump and writer E. Jean Carroll have been in a legal battle since November 2019, when Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump after he publicly denied her allegations of sexual assault.

Trump then appealed a 2023 civil jury verdict that found him guilty of sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store decades ago and defaming her in 2022 by calling her allegations a “hoax.” In another case, a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in January for Trump's defamatory comments in 2019. He also appealed that verdict.

The legal battle continued while Trump’s lawyer John Sauerasked an appeals court to overturn the decision that Trump must pay $5 million to Carroll. Trump, 78, insisted he never attacked Carroll, 80.

On September 6, Trump appeared in a New York courtroom for his first appearance since missing the trial and later blaming his lawyers for the loss.

For more information on the ongoing legal battle between Trump and Carroll, including a detailed timeline, click here.

Timeline

1990s

• Around 1996: Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle The magazine claims that Trump sexually harassed her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.

2019

• 21 June 2019: Carroll publicly accuses Trump of sexual harassment in her book Why do we need men? A modest proposalpublished in New York MagazineTrump denies the allegations, saying he has never met Carroll and that she is “not his type.”
• 4 November 2019: Carroll files a defamation suit against Trump in New York state court, claiming that his statements denying her allegations damaged her reputation.

2020

• 8 September 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) intervenes in the defamation case, arguing that Trump was acting in his official capacity as president when he made the statements about Carroll. (If successful, this move would have removed the case to federal court and potentially led to its dismissal.)

2021

• 27 October 2021: The New York State Court of Appeals rules that Carroll's lawsuit can proceed, rejecting the Justice Department's argument. However, the Justice Department continues to defend its position in federal court.

2022

• 15 February 2022: The Second Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments on the legality of the Justice Department's intervention, focusing on whether Trump made his statements in the course of his official duties.
• 19 May 2022: Carroll's attorney says Carroll intends to file a separate lawsuit against Trump under New York State's Adult Survivors Act, which gives victims of sexual assault a one-year deadline to sue even if the statute of limitations has expired.
• 24 November 2022: Carroll files a new lawsuit against Trump under the Adult Survivors Act, accusing him of assault by “forcibly raping and groping” her and of defaming her when he denied raping her the previous month. Kaplan said at a court hearing that her client “intends to hold Donald Trump accountable not only for the defamation but also for the sexual harassment he committed years ago in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman.”

2023

• 25 April 2023: A federal judge rules that the defamation lawsuit can proceed and sets an April 2024 trial date for the personal injury and defamation case filed in 2022.
• May 9, 2023: A jury in Manhattan finds Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll and awards her $5 million in damages. Trump immediately announces that he will appeal the verdict.
• July 19, 2023: Trump files a countersuit against Carroll for defamation, arguing that her statements in post-verdict interviews further damaged his reputation.
• 7 August 2023: Carroll is demanding an additional $10 million in damages from Trump, citing other defamatory comments he made on social media.

2024

• April 2024: The scheduled trial in Carroll's second defamation suit against Trump, barring delays or settlements.
• 6 September 2024:A federal judge in New York dismisses Trump's countersuit against Carroll on the grounds that his claims did not meet the legal criteria for defamation and therefore could not be pursued.