Trump seeks delay of E. Jean Carroll defamation trial so he can consider appeal to Supreme Court

(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is seeking to delay his defamation trial set to begin next month in the 2019 lawsuit brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll, so he can consider a potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 15 in Manhattan federal court to determine how much in damages he owes to Carroll for calling her a liar and disparaging her when he denied her rape claim.

Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, sued Trump in November 2019 over comments he made shortly after Carroll publicly accused him of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s.

The former president said Carroll was “not my type” and suggested she fabricated her accusation for ulterior and improper purposes, including to increase sales of her then-forthcoming book. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

A federal appeals court ruled earlier this month Trump could not use presidential immunity as a defense because he waited too long to invoke it. Defense attorney Alina Habba asked the appellate court to give Trump 90 days to consider his options and to stay the trial indefinitely until all appeals are exhausted.

“The requested stays are necessary and appropriate to give President Trump an opportunity to fully litigate his entitlement to present an immunity defense in the underlying proceedings, including pursuing the appeal in the Supreme Court if necessary,” Habba wrote.

Carroll prevailed in a separate but related lawsuit in May that alleged defamation and battery, and was awarded $5 million in damages. Trump is appealing that case.

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