In a significant legal development, the U.S. Department of Justice has reversed its earlier stance on the immunity of former President Donald Trump in the $10 million defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll, Reuters reports.
Legal Reversal
The Department had previously concluded that Trump was acting within the scope of his office when he denied Carroll’s rape allegations in June 2019. However, it now states that it no longer believes this to be the case. This change means the Department will not substitute itself as the defendant, a move that would have effectively ended Carroll’s case as the government cannot be sued for defamation.
Carroll’s Response
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the change, stating, “We have always believed that Donald Trump made his defamatory statements about our client in June 2019 out of personal animus, ill will and spite, and not as president.”
See Also: Donald Trump To Face Second Lawsuit In E. Jean Carroll’s Defamation Case, Rules Judge
Defamation Counterclaim
Earlier this week, Carroll requested a judge to dismiss Trump’s countersuit, which alleges that she defamed him by repeating her rape claim. Carroll’s lawyers argue that the countersuit is merely Trump’s latest attempt to delay the case.
Read Next: Trump Countersues Rape Accuser Jean Carroll For Defamation, Yielded An Inordinate Amount Of Damages
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