Donald Trump has filed a counter-lawsuit against journalist E Jean Carroll.
The former president has sued the magazine columnist for defamation, alleging she falsely accused him of rape after a jury found that he sexually abused her earlier this year, as per CNN.
In the counterclaim that was filed earlier this week, Trump claims that he was defamed by Carroll when she appeared on CNN the morning after a jury awarded her $5 million (AUD $3.3m) in damages.
When asked about the verdict after Trump insisted that he did not rape her, she retorted: “Oh yes, he did.”
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According to the counterclaim, the 77 year old is demanding that Carroll retract her statements as well as an unspecified amount of compensation, as per The Guardian.
However, Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan has responded to the lawsuit in a statement, writing: “Donald Trump again argues, contrary to both logic and fact, that he was exonerated by a jury that found that he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll.”
She added: “Trump’s filing is thus nothing more than his latest effort to delay accountability for what a jury has already found to be his defamation of E. Jean Carroll. But whether he likes it or not, that accountability is coming very soon.”
The counterclaim is the latest update in the lengthy legal battle between these two.
Carroll testified that Trump raped her in a department store in New York City in the mid-90s in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman.
Trump then threatened to ruin her reputation by calling her a liar after she went public about her story in 2019.
The former Elle magazine columnist filed a second lawsuit against the Republican for defamation and sexual assault while seeking an additional $10 million (AUD $15 million) in damages in May.
Carroll filed the second lawsuit shortly after New York passed a law giving sexual assault survivors a chance to file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their allegations had passed.
UNILAD has approached Trump’s team for comment.
Topics: News, Donald Trump
Charisa Bossinakis