NEW YORK – Former US President Donald Trump abruptly left the courtroom today while the parties were presenting closing arguments in the defamation case against him related to the rape allegations of author E. Jean Carroll.
Mr. Trump abruptly stood up and left the courtroom just minutes after Ms. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, began her closing arguments in Manhattan federal court.
He walked out of the courtroom just minutes after Judge Lewis A. Kaplan saw the jury present, telling Mr. Trump's lawyer Alina Habba that he would send her to jail because she continued to speak after he told her to stop.
He then returned to the courtroom when his lawyer was about to speak.
Lawyers are making their case to a nine-member jury, which will begin deliberations Friday on whether Ms. Carroll, a former advice columnist, is entitled to more than $5 million she was awarded in another trial last year. past.
The latest comments from the lawyers come a day after Mr Trump violated rules imposed by a federal judge limiting what he can say during his testimony, which lasted just three minutes.
“She said something that I consider a false accusation,” Mr. Trump said, later adding: “I just wanted to protect myself, my families, and frankly, the presidency.” Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told the jury not to consider either of Mr. Trump's statements.
Another jury last May concluded that Mr. Trump sexually abused author Carroll in the spring of 1996 in the fitting rooms of a Manhattan clothing store. The jury also concluded that Mr Trump had defamed her in 2022 when he claimed she had fabricated the allegation to sell her biography.
Mr. Trump, who is the main Republican competitor in this year's presidential election race in the United States, has regretted the decision not to testify in that trial and blamed his lawyers for giving him bad advice.
The jury in this new trial has been told that their mandate is limited.
Judge Kaplan will instruct jurors on the law before they begin their arguments, telling them that they must accept the sentence handed down last year and that they must only determine whether to award other damages because of the statements. that Mr. Trump did in June 2019, when he was president. The claims have dragged on for years due to the appeals process.
Ms. Carroll's lawyers are seeking more than $10 million in damages. Mr Trump's lawyer Alina Habba contested the damages, saying Ms Carroll's ties to Mr Trump had made her famous and that Mr Trump's comments could not be held responsible for the death threats made against her.
Last year, a jury rejected Ms. Carroll's claim that Mr. Trump raped her, although it agreed that she had been sexually abused.
Last week, Ms. Carroll said during her testimony that her career has been destroyed by Mr. Trump's statements about her allegations over the past five years, including most recently during the presidential campaign. She said that out of fear for safety, she bought bullets for her gun and installed an electronic alarm system around the house.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump said he stands “100%” behind comments he made in his October 2002 testimony, where he denied Carroll's allegations.