American writer Jean Carroll has filed a new lawsuit against former US President Donald Trump in a New York court. The 78-year-old woman accuses the Republican of raping her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Carroll is now seeking, among other things, damages for personal injury and reputational damage, according to a complaint filed by their lawyers today.
Trump has repeatedly denied the rape charge. So far, Carroll has not accused Trump of the rape charge, only of defamation. Because the deadline for filing criminal charges for sexual assaults in the 1990s had long since expired.
A new law in the US state of New York now provides this opportunity for victims of sexual violence in previous cases. Immediately after its enactment, Carroll’s lawyers filed a new suit.
Trump denied the allegations
The defamation lawsuits, which have been running for some time, relate to statements made in 2019. Carroll made the rape allegation public in an excerpt from a book.
Trump denied the allegations, saying, among other things, that she was not his type. He also accused her of just wanting to sell her new book. Carroll then sued Trump for portraying her as a liar and therefore defaming her.
In October, Trump had to testify under oath at the trial. The hearing was suspended by an appeals court as judges must clarify whether Trump is protected from legal action for statements he made during his 2017-2021 presidency.