E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump: Attorneys make final arguments in civil rape case
David JacksonA federal jury begins deliberations Tuesday in E. Jean Carroll's rape and defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump, a day after attorneys for both sides made final arguments in the high-profile case that could cost the former president millions in damages.
In asking the jury to find Trump liable for a rape in 1996, Carroll attorney Roberta Kaplan said: "He thinks he can get away with it here."
Attorneys for Trump, who claims that the 1996 incident never happened, told the jury that Carroll failed to make her case. They said the plaintiff made up the story for financial gain and political revenge against the former president.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina called the allegations an “affront to justice," and urged jurors to reject them.
Closing arguments
The legal team for Carroll, a professional writer, used closing arguments to again lay out their basic case: that Trump suddenly attacked her shortly after the two met at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City.
Kaplan did not ask the jury for a specific damage amount, saying her client only wants her good name back. During the trial, an expert witness called by the plaintiff's legal team estimated the damages to Carroll's reputation at up to $2.7 million.
Attorneys for Carroll repeatedly reminded jurors that Trump refused to testify during the trial, a fact that the jury can take into account in assessing his liability. “He didn’t even bother to show up here in person,” Kaplan said at one point.
Carroll, meanwhile, spent three days on the stand, including fierce cross-examination by Trump's legal team.
Trump's argument
During the defendant's closing arguments, Tacopina repeatedly echoed his client's claims that Carroll's story is false and designed only to hurt Trump politically. Tacopina said people have strong feelings about the former president, but the place to settle then is at the ballot box.
The Trump attorney called on jurors to take "a journey to justice."
Trump doesn't testify
Trump, who was on a business trip, told reporters in Ireland last week that he planned to return to New York to confront the issue in court, though he made this claim just hours before his attorneys rested their case.
The judge in the case had given Trump until Sunday afternoon to apply to re-open the case for his testimony; Trump did not file anything.
A civil case
This is not a criminal trial, but a civil one based on a lawsuit.
Carroll sued Trump for defamation, claiming he lied about the attack and damaged her reputation in the process.
Trump also faces a series of criminal investigations in the months ahead.
The other cases
In March, a grand jury in New York City indicted Trump on charges of falsifying business records to cover up up hush money payments to an ex-mistress named Stormy Daniels; prosecutors said the hush money, designed to buy Daniels' silence, amounted to an illegal campaign contribution. A trial is expected to be scheduled for early nest year.
Trump is also being investigated in three other cases: efforts to overturn his election loss in Georgia in 2020, the handling of classified documents, and the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, that tried to overturn the election nationally.
The campaign
The verdict may have some sort of impact on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, but it's hard to say how. He has a CNN town hall appearance scheduled for Wednesday in New Hampshire, and the New York jury could still be out at that time.
If anything, Trump's political position has improved among Republicans who will pick their presidential nominee in 2024. He remains the front-runner in the 2024 race over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and ex-Vice President Mike Pence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.