Trump Sues E. Jean Carroll for Defamation

Facts

• On Tuesday, Donald Trump filed a defamation countersuit against E. Jean Carroll, a month after a jury found the former US president liable for sexual assault and defamation against the author.¹
• The case refers to comments made by Carroll a day after the jury's verdict in May on CNN. Carroll stated, "oh yes he did" when questioned over whether Trump had raped her in the 1990s, despite the New York civil jury finding that he had sexually abused, but not raped, Carroll.²
• The claim, filed in federal court in Manhattan, argues that Trump has faced "significant harm to his reputation" from Carroll's comments, which have caused an "inordinate" amount of "damage sustained."³
• Since the jury's ruling last month, Carroll herself has also amended her original defamation lawsuit against the former president to include comments Trump made following the trial during a town hall forum on CNN. Carroll is seeking a further $10M in addition to the $5M she was awarded in May.⁴
• Trump's legal team is seeking "compensatory and punitive damages" against Carroll, as well as demanding that the author retract her comments on the matter. Trump has also filed an appeal against the jury's verdict last month.⁵

Sources: ¹The Hill, ²BBC News, ³Independent, ⁴Reuters, and ⁵Forbes.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by RSBN Network. Trump has maintained his innocence throughout Carroll's persistent claims, and the former president is now fighting back with his own legal complaints. There's no clear evidence of sexual abuse — let alone rape — and Trump is entitled to defend his reputation against the author's questionable claims.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. Since Trump was on the losing side of the jury's verdict, the former president has dramatically and consistently lashed out to no avail, and this is just his latest ploy to escape accountability. Carroll has continued to stand firm against Trump's intimidation, with a jury rightly finding him to be a sexual criminal — a mark that will forever taint his legacy.

Predictions