Trump Faces Civil Trial For Rape Allegation
Former President Donald Trump is facing a civil trial over an allegation that he raped an advice columnist nearly three decades ago.
Jury selection is due to begin on Tuesday in a New York federal court.
Mr Trump has denied E Jean Carroll’s accusation that he attacked her in a Manhattan department store. He has said “she made up the claim for publicity.”
Though this is not a criminal case, the consequences for Mr Trump could nevertheless be serious.
If Ms. Carroll wins the lawsuit. It would be the first time the former president – who has been the subject of more than two dozen such allegations – would be found legally responsible for a sexual assault.
Mr Trump is facing a wave of other legal troubles, including more than two dozen felony counts over payment of hush money to an adult film actress and an investigation into his alleged role in the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.
Mr Trump is also juggling his ongoing bid for the White House next year.
Accusation
Ms Carroll, 79, says the attack occurred at a Bergdorf Goodman store in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.
The pair had bumped into each other while shopping, she said. Mr Trump then allegedly asked her for advice when buying lingerie for another woman and jokingly asked her to model it for him. But once in the changing rooms, Ms. Carroll said the real estate tycoon lunged at her, pinned her against a wall, and assaulted her.
Ms Carroll, whose “Ask E. Jean” advice column has appeared in Elle magazine since 1993, claims she managed to push him off after a “colossal struggle.”
She did not report the alleged encounter to police, her complaint said, because she “was in shock and did not wish to think of herself as a rape victim.”
Two of Ms. Carroll’s friends, Carol Martin and Lisa Birnbach, have said the writer told them about the alleged incident within days. Ms. Martin and Ms. Birchbach are on the list of witnesses that Ms. Carroll may call to testify.
Multiple Denials
Mr Trump has issued multiple denials in the years since Ms. Carroll came forward with her allegations in 2019.
He has described her claims as a “complete con job” on his social media platform Truth Social, saying the alleged rape “never happened.” During an October deposition for the case, Mr Trump repeated his denials, adding that his accuser is “not my type.”
It is so far unclear if Mr Trump will make an appearance during the trial, which is expected to last up to two weeks.
He is not required to attend, and Ms. Carroll’s lawyers have said they do not plan to call him as a witness.
Lawyers for the accuser plan to play to jurors a recording, known as the Access Hollywood tape, in which Mr Trump is heard boasting about grabbing women’s genitals. Lawyers for Ms. Carroll also plan to call other women who say they were attacked by Mr Trump to testify at the trial.
The criminal ‘statute of limitations’ for this case has long expired.
Typically, the statute of limitations for people to bring civil lawsuits over sexual assault in New York is three years, meaning it has long lapsed.
But in 2022, New York passed the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed a one-year period for victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in the state over claims that would have otherwise exceeded statute limitations.
Ms. Carroll filed her lawsuit against Mr Trump almost immediately after the law took effect.
BBC/Shakirat Sadiq
