ALBAWABA- Writer E. Jean Carroll took the witness stand in a New York court on Wednesday to give her account of how former President Donald Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room almost 30 years ago.
Ms. Carroll is suing Trump, claiming that he defamed her by denying the incident took place. She has brought the lawsuit under a new law that permits sexual assault victims to sue alleged abusers, even when the statute of limitations has elapsed. Mr. Trump has dismissed Ms. Carroll’s claims and has repeatedly attacked her on social media.
BREAKING: Donald Trump’s trial begins today in the Rape and Defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.
What are the Rape allegations?
Carroll claims that in the 1990s Trump raped her in a changing room at a department store by pinning her against a wall and sexually… pic.twitter.com/m14LWHLo1m— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 25, 2023
Ms. Carroll told the court that she was shopping with Trump for a gift for a friend when he suggested she try on a bodysuit in the lingerie department. He then coerced her into the dressing room, where he sexually assaulted her.
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen,” Ms. Carroll said shortly after taking the witness stand. “He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back.”
Ms. Carroll’s lawyers are seeking to have Mr. Trump found liable for defamation and battery, and to have damages awarded. They have asked Trump to testify in person, but his lawyer said he was unsure whether he would do so. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan criticized Trump for social media comments made shortly before the trial resumed on Wednesday morning, and suggested the former president may be trying to influence jurors.
