Former President Donald Trump’s legal team is set to contest the $83.3 million defamation lawsuit judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll. They argue that an “insane” conflict of interest exists with the presiding judge.
In a recent development reported by Breitbart News, a jury awarded an additional $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist. She accused Trump of damaging her reputation by calling her a liar after alleging sexual assault. The trial, attended frequently by Trump, saw a dramatic exit during closing arguments, with Trump later expressing dissatisfaction on his Truth Social website and announcing plans to appeal.
Carroll, a former journalist, filed the lawsuit in 2019, claiming Trump assaulted her in the mid-1990s. Trump consistently denies these allegations, stating on social media, “Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts…THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
Trump’s legal team, led by Attorney Alina Habba, revealed their intention to appeal over the weekend. Habba argued that they were unaware of a prior mentorship between Judge Lewis Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, during the 1990s. Allegations of a conflict of interest surfaced, stemming from a former Weiss partner, claiming a mentor relationship between the judge and Roberta Kaplan.
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Roberta Kaplan, now a founding partner at Kaplan, Keckler & Fink, denied any significant professional relationship with the judge. Zak Sawyer, her representative, stated they worked together for less than two years in the early 1990s.
Habba, addressing the media after the ruling, passionately expressed concerns about the trial’s fairness, citing the denial of expert witnesses and alleged funding of Carroll’s friend by Kaplan’s firm.