Trump Rape Accuser Granted Approval To Pursue $10M Defamation Case Against Ex-President

E.Jean Carroll, the journalist who successfully obtained a $5 million verdict against Donald Trump for defamation and sexual abuse last month, has received approval from a federal judge to proceed with a separate defamation case against the former president, seeking $10 million in damages.

What Happened: Trump's lawyers argued that the defamation case should be dismissed because earlier a jury had said that their client did not rape Carroll, reported Reuters.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan reportedly said he would explain the reasoning for ruling in favor of Carroll later.

Alina Habba, the lawyer representing Trump, a Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential elections, reportedly argued that Carroll should not be permitted to modify her legal theory in support of the defamation case “at the eleventh hour” just to align with the jury verdict.

Why It Matters: Carroll sought $10 million more last month in a court filing after Trump "doubled down" on derogatory remarks about her in a televised appearance after the $5 million jury verdict was announced.

The lawsuit alleged that Trump had used a "national platform to demean and mock Carroll." The filing said, "He egged on a laughing audience as he made light of his violent sexual assault."

Carroll hailed the earlier verdict as a victory for "every woman." She said at the time that she suffered in the past "because she was not believed."

Notably, the Trump legal setback came in on the same day he pled not guilty to federal charges related to classified documents. His lawyers made a reference to "politically motivated prosecutors" before Trump's court appearance.

Read Next: Trump Blames Biden’s Numbers For Indictment: ‘They’re Losing Very Big In The Polls’