Trump Fails To Get Immunity From Appeals Court In Rape Accuser's Defamation Case

An appeals court in Washington, D.C. said on Thursday that it didn't have enough facts to make a decision on whether former President Donald Trump had immunity after he accused E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine journalist, in June 2019 of lying.

What Happened: The Court of Appeals, which is the District's highest local court, sent the case back to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. The New York court had asked the Washington court for guidance on local law earlier, reported Reuters.

"We are confident that the Second Circuit will rule in President Trump’s favor and dismiss Ms. Carroll’s case," said Alina Habba, a lawyer for the former president, according to the report.

See Also: Trump’s ‘Absolute Immunity’ Claims On Jan.6 Capitol Riots Rejected By DoJ

Why It Matters: The decision by the Court of Appeals does not affect Caroll's second lawsuit, where the trial is scheduled to begin on April 25 in a Manhattan federal court, reported Reuters.

Late on Thursday, the judge in that case, Robert Kaplan, refused to delay the trial date. Trump's lawyers had requested a delay after they learned from Carroll's legal team that Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn — who is a prominent Democratic donor — was paying for some of her legal bills, according to Reuters.

Trump's lawyers had also cited a "deluge of prejudicial media coverage" racked up during his recent arraignment and arrest. They had sought to delay Carroll's second trial to at least May 23.

Kaplan didn't address whether the criminal case had a negative effect on Trump's right to a fair trial in Carroll's case.

Caroll accused Trump of raping her 27 years ago at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan. The former U.S. president has dismissed her allegations as a "hoax and a lie."

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