Trump Attorney Made ‘Total Blunder’ On First Day Of Rape Trial: Lawyer3 min read
E.Jean Carroll’s civil rape case against Donald Trump got underway in New York on Tuesday, with the former president’s attorney making a “total blunder,” according to one legal analyst.
Trump is being sued for allegedly raping Carroll, a former magazine columnist, in Manhattan either in late 1995, or early 1996, which he strongly denies.
The former president is locked in a number of legal battles, including facing charges over allegations he orchestrated the payment of hush money to former pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, to which he pled not guilty. These cases could impact his bid to return to the White House in the 2024 presidential election.
Carroll, now 79, claims Trump raped her in a changing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan, during which without consent he “pushed his fingers around Carroll’s genitals and forced his penis inside of her.”
Trump has fervently denied the claim, labeling it a “hoax” and insisting he had “never met this person in my life.” Carroll is also suing the Republican presidential frontrunner for defamation over comments he made after she went public with her allegations in 2019.
Speaking to Newsweek, attorney Jamie White, who specializes in representing victims of sexual abuse, described the evidence admitted by the court as “compelling,” adding that it “weighs heavily against Mr Trump.”
On Tuesday, Carroll’s lawyer, Shawn Crowley, said the incident would “change her life forever,” while Joe Tacopina, Trump’s lawyer, branded the accusation “unbelievable.”
However Tacopina made a significant mistake during one of his interactions with federal judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, according to one legal analyst. Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney and legal commentator, noted a testy exchange between the two men.
Asked by Kaplan whether Trump would testify in person, Tacopina replied: “I don’t know. Yes, you can look at me that way.”
Litman commented: “Yes you can look at me that way????? total blunder.”
The defense team was also criticized by Lisa Rubin, a lawyer and MSNBC legal analyst, who noted there was “not even a single woman at the defense table,” which she described as “not a great look in a case all about an alleged sexual assault.”
Newsweek has contacted Donald Trump for comment via the contact form on his official website.
Carroll’s action against Trump is civil, rather than criminal, meaning there is no prospect of the former president facing any jail time. However, according to White, Trump could be forced to pay out an “astronomical” figure if the court rules against him.
He commented: “I’ve seen these cases settled for hundreds of thousands, or tens of millions. I think that her allegations of the assault, and also the harm it’s caused her are substantial, and a jury could come back with a very large number.”
The legal action is only possible because New York passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022, giving alleged sexual assault victims a one-year window to file lawsuits that would otherwise be outside the statute of limitations.
Newsweek
