According to The Epoch Times, former President Donald Trump has filed a counterclaim against author E. Jean Carroll, accusing her of defamation and making false statements after she accused him of raping her in the mid-1990s. This counterclaim follows a recent legal battle in which Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages for battery and defamation charges against Carroll. Although the jury found that Trump did not rape Carroll, he has consistently denied the allegation.
Trump’s counterclaim, filed with the Southern District of New York federal court, asserts that Carroll damaged his reputation by accusing him of rape during an appearance on CNN. The counterclaim highlights that Carroll disregarded the jury’s finding that Trump was not liable for rape and instead replied, “oh yes he did, oh yes he did.” Trump’s lawyers argue that Carroll made these false statements with actual malice and ill will, intending to harm his reputation and broadcast defamatory statements to the public through various media platforms.
According to Trump’s legal team, Carroll’s repeated falsehoods and defamatory statements have caused significant harm to his reputation, resulting in substantial damages. The counterclaim requests the court to deny the damages awarded to Carroll in the civil case, require her to retract her defamatory statements, and award Trump compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees.
“In response to that specific inquiry, Counterclaim Defendant disregarded the jury’s finding that Counterclaimant did not rape her and replied: ‘oh yes he did, oh yes he did,
Counterclaim Defendant made these false statements with actual malice and ill will with an intent to significantly and spitefully harm and attack Counterclaimant’s reputation, as these false statements were clearly contrary to the jury verdict.”
The initial lawsuit was filed by Carroll in 2019, alleging that Trump defamed her by denying the rape accusation. In response, Trump stated that Carroll was not his type and that the incident never occurred. The case has undergone several appeals since then.
The legal battle between Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll continues to unfold, with both parties vehemently defending their positions. As the proceedings progress, further developments will determine the outcome of this contentious dispute.
