So far, Carroll had not indicted the ex-president himself for the rape allegation, but only for defamation. Because the deadline for filing criminal charges for sexual assaults in the 1990s had long since expired.
Carroll’s attorneys then filed the new lawsuit in November, immediately after new law went into effect in the state of New York. In it, she demands damages for bodily harm and damage to reputation, among other things, as the complaint shows. The new law gives victims of sexual violence the opportunity to sue in cases that occurred further in the past.
Trump’s lawyers had tried to stop the new lawsuit from being admitted until Friday’s decision. However, federal judge Lewis A. Kaplan called their argument that the new law was unconstitutional “absurd”. The court also released previously sealed excerpts of a transcript of Trump’s testimony from the ongoing defamation case. In it, the ex-president described Carroll as “crazy” and accused her lawyer of political intentions.
The defamation proceedings, which have been ongoing for some time, are about statements from 2019. Carroll had made the allegation of rape public in a book excerpt at the time. Trump rejected the allegations – among other things, saying that Carroll was not his type. He also accused her of only wanting to sell her book. Carroll then sued Trump for portraying her as a liar and thus defaming her.
In a statement Friday, Trump’s attorney said she and her client were “disappointed” with the decision and planned to appeal.
