So far, Jean Carroll has only sued the ex-president for defamation, since the deadline for filing criminal charges of sexual assault had long expired. A new law in New York has changed that.
US author Jean Carroll is facing a new lawsuit once morest former US President Donald Trump brought before a New York court. The 78-year-old accuses the Republican of raping her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Carroll is now seeking damages for personal injury and damage to reputation, according to a lawsuit filed by her attorneys on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation of rape. So far, Carroll had not accused Trump of the rape allegation himself, but 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 such an opportunity for victims of sexual violence in earlier cases. Carroll’s attorneys filed the new lawsuit immediately following it went into effect Thursday.
Trump protected from consequences?
The defamation proceedings, which have been ongoing for some time, relate to statements made in 2019. Carroll had made the allegation of rape public in a book excerpt. Trump denied the allegations, saying, among other things, that she was not his type. He also accused her of only wanting to sell her new book. Carroll then sued Trump for portraying her as a liar and thus defaming her.
In October, Trump had to testify under oath in the trial. The hearing was then stayed by an appeals court because judges must clarify whether Trump is protected from legal action for statements he made during his presidency from 2017 to 2021.
(APA/dpa)