Trump Seeking Delay in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Citing the surge of media coverage over his Manhattan indictment, former President Donald Trump is seeking a delay in the upcoming civil trial in the case brought by magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who claims he defamed her with his denials and derogatory comments over her claim that he raped her in a department-store dressing room in the 1990s.

Attorney Joe Tacopina, who is representing Trump in both cases, argued in a late-night filing to U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan that the media coverage of Trump’s indictment in Manhattan over the hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels has tainted the potential jurors in Carroll’s lawsuit, reports Politico.

The civil case is currently set for April 25, but Trump’s team is pushing for it to be postponed until at least late May.

“Holding the trial, in this case, a mere three weeks after these historic events will guarantee that many, if not most, prospective jurors will have the criminal allegations top of mind when judging President Trump against Ms. Carroll’s allegations,” Tacopina said in his filing.

He also noted the media coverage in the Manhattan case was “remarkable for its volume and incitement of animus towards President Trump” and could taint the jury pool.

Tacopina said Trump draws heavy media coverage almost all the time but said searches on Google showed a higher surge of coverage after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought the indictment against him.

The Manhattan charges, alleging that Trump falsified business records to conceal that hush money had been paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, create a risk that jurors in Carroll’s civil trial could conflate the issues, as they are also related to claims of “sexual misconduct,” said Tacopina.

Kaplan, however, appears to be moving forward with the civil case. He recently approved a bid allowing jurors to remain anonymous, citing potential threats to their safety from Trump’s rhetoric, especially that being aimed toward Bragg and the judge presiding over the criminal case.

Tacopina did not mention other looming legal threats that the former president is facing, including allegations in Georgia, where Atlanta-area DA Fani Willis says decisions are “imminent” on claims Trump and his allies tried to supersede Georgia’s election laws after the 2020 election.

In addition, special counsel Jack Smith is reportedly nearing the end of his investigation into Trump’s activities concerning classified documents and also a separate investigation over the 2020 election.

Tacopina said he expects there will be a “cooling off” of the Manhattan indictment by late May, with the next big surge of interest coming in August, when Trump is expected to file motions to dismiss the case.