E. Jean Carroll's Intense Legal Battles Against Donald Trump, Explained

The following article includes mentions of rape and sexual assault.

Former President Donald Trump is facing another lawsuit, this time for defamation for the comments he made against writer E. Jean Carroll.

This isn't the first time that Carroll has had to go to court against Trump. Back in 2019, she alleged in a piece for The Cut that the former president had raped her in a dressing room in a department store in Manhattan, New York. Following the allegations, Trump was public about claiming his innocence and even went as far as to call Carroll a "nut job" who invented a "fraudulent and false story," per AP News. Carroll took Trump to court for the alleged rape and defamation for his 2022 comments suggesting that she made up the story. In May 2023, a jury found Trump guilty of sexually abusing Carroll after being split about whether Trump had raped her. In addition, the former president was found guilty of defamation for the comments he made against her. Carroll was awarded $5 million.

Trump was not happy about the results of the trial. He shared on Truth Social (via The Hill), "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace — A continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!" While it may have seemed like Trump's story with Carroll was case closed, it was far from over. Carroll is back in court for a similar reason to her first trial against the former president.

On January 16, 2024, E. Jean Carroll was back in court facing a second defamation trial against former President Donald Trump, per CBS. While Trump was in office, he was given immunity from the defamation case, but in July 2023, the Justice Department reversed the decision, allowing the case to move forward, per CNN. This second case will determine how much money the writer will be awarded for Trump's comments about her story back in 2019, where he denied the rape accusations and suggested that Carroll was "not his type." The comments have already been ruled defamatory by the judge, so the case is solely focused on the damages aspect, per CBS.

For the first time in years, Trump and Carroll were in the same room as they attended the trial's first day, per CNN. Just a day prior, Trump had a victorious win in the Iowa caucus. The first day of the trial included jury selection for those who would determine how much the writer would be awarded in damages. Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, laid out the timeline for the trial and revealed that it should take no more than three to five days. It's unclear whether Trump will testify, but Carroll is expected to do so, and her team is also planning to play Trump's 2022 deposition as well as his infamous Access Hollywood tape where he made disparaging comments toward women.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).