17 April 2023 , 17:03
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Donald Trump’s attempt to have his civil rape trial delayed has been vehemently rejected by a judge.
The former President had argued a “cooling off” period was needed following his arrest on April 4 on suspicion of fraud and conspiracy due to the media attention surrounding him.
Today, Judge Lewis Kaplan admonished Trump saying much of the publicity around him was caused by himself.
In his ruling, the justice wrote: “There is no justification for an adjournment. This case is entirely unrelated to the state prosecution.
“The suggestion that the recent media coverage of the New York indictment – coverage significantly (though certainly not entirely) invited or provoked by Mr Trump’s own actions – would preclude selection of a fair and impartial jury on April 25 is pure speculation.
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A federal judge has rejected Donald Trump's latest attempt E. Jean Carroll's rape trial (Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock)“So too is his suggestion that a month’s delay of the start of this trial would ‘cool off’ anything, even if any ‘cooling off’ were necessary.”
Trump is being sued by author E. Jean Carroll, 79, after he denied raping her in the 1990s.
Her lawsuit is the second she has brought against him but the first to seek to hold him accountable for battery for allegedly raping her in a department store’s dressing room.
The lawsuit also alleges a new defamation claim based on statements Trump made last year.
The lawsuit also alleges a new defamation claim based on statements Trump made last year (Michael Conroy/AP/REX/Shutterstock)She is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for pain and suffering, psychological harm, dignity loss and reputation damage.
Ms Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine, first made the claim in a 2019 book, saying Trump raped her in the dressing room of a Manhattan luxury department store in 1995 or 1996
The former US leader responded to the book’s allegations by saying it could never have happened because Ms Carroll was “not my type.”
The civil trial is set to begin on April 25 before a jury.
Judge Lewis Kaplan admonished Trump saying much of the publicity around him was caused by himself (Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The decision comes after Judge Lewis Kaplan granted jurors sitting on the civil case anonymity amid possible threats from his supporters.
In a highly unusual move, the federal judge granted those set to hear the lawsuit extremely rare protection last month.
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The justice handling E. Jean Carroll’s case against Trump said jurors’ personal information will be kept confidential and other security measures will be taken to protect them, citing the former president’s history of attacking the legal system.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who handled Prince Andrew’s sex abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, noted Trump’s most recent outburst.
He wrote: "Mr Trump’s quite recent reaction to what he perceived as an imminent threat of indictment by a grand jury sitting virtually next door to this court was to encourage ‘protest’ and to urge people to ‘take our country back.’
“That reaction reportedly has been perceived by some as incitement to violence.
“And it bears mention that Mr Trump repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters,” the judge added.
“If jurors’ identities were disclosed, there would be a strong likelihood of unwanted media attention to the jurors, influence attempts, and/or of harassment or worse of jurors by supporters of Mr Trump."