- Holly Hundetrich
- BBC News
Donald Trump’s statements appeared before a jury in Manhattan on Thursday
Former US President Donald Trump misrepresented E. Jean Carroll and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, as he testified before a jury in Carroll’s civil rape case.
Trump testified via pre-recorded video, during which Trump was shown a picture of himself talking to other people at an event. “That’s Marla,” Trump said, before his lawyer corrected him, “No, it’s Carol.”
Carroll, 79, has accused Trump, 76, of attacking and raping her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s, an allegation Trump denies.
Carroll’s lawyers have argued that Trump’s confusion about the photo undermines his claim that Carroll “isn’t my type of woman,” a comment he has made since she first filed the claim in 2019.
Trump did not appear in person after the civil trial, which is now drawing to a close after two weeks of proceedings in Manhattan. Both sides said they finished testifying on Thursday, though the Trump team has not called any witnesses in its defense.
Trump had told reporters he might cut short his current golf trip to Ireland to “face” Carroll in court.
“I’m going to come back (from my trip) early because one of them made a completely false claim, it’s fake,” Trump said.
image copyright Getty Images
E Jean Carroll said the alleged attack left her unable to experience emotional experiences
Trump’s hint that he will return to New York comes after his attorney, Joseph Takopina, told the judge that his client would not testify in person in court.
Referring to Trump’s comments, the judge said he would give Trump until Sunday afternoon to make a decision. Then the judge would say: “That ship has sailed, never to return.”
The nine-member jury was shown the video showing Trump’s testimony in the case in a verbal confrontation with Roberta Kaplan, one of Carroll’s attorneys, which was filmed last October.
Trump continued his categorical denial of Carroll’s accusation that he lured her into the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan and raped her.
“If it had happened, it would have been reported within minutes,” Trump said at the briefing, noting that others in the “very busy store” would have heard the attack happening and continuing.
Jurors at the trial, which lasted nearly two weeks, heard days of videotaped testimony. Carroll told the jury she was left “unable to relive emotional experiences” after the alleged attack.
image copyright Getty Images
Marla Maples was married to Trump from 1993 to 1999
Her account in court was supported by her friend, Lisa Birnbach, who testified this week to receiving a call from Carole minutes after she said she had been raped.
Carroll’s team called two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who described Trump’s alleged sexual assaults, allegations he denies.
Carroll, a former columnist for fashion magazine Elle, is now able to file a civil lawsuit against Trump after New York state passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022.
The law set a period of one year for victims of sexual assault who wished to file claims in the state, and whose incidents had already occurred beyond the time limit allowed by law to initiate any legal proceedings.
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2023-05-05 00:23:57
