United States: American Journalist Jean Carroll Sues Former President Trump For Sexual Assault And Defamation
Location: United States, New York
Date: November 24, 2022
American journalist Jean Carroll has sued former US President Trump for "sexual assault” and “defamation”. The new claim is made under the newly passed New York state law which allows sexual assault victims to file civil suits regardless of expired statutes of limitations. The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends full support to journalist Jean Carroll and demands that justice prevails.
On Thursday, November 24, the day the Adult Survivors Act state law came into effect in New York, American journalist Jean Carroll sued former US President Trump for the second time for "sexual assault" and "defamation".
Jean Carroll is an American journalist, author and advice columnist. Carroll is most known for her column "Ask E. Jean'' which appeared in Elle magazine from 1993 through 2019. The column was one of the longest-lasting advice columns in American publishing.
On June 21, 2019, prior to the publishing of her book "What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal" Carroll wrote in New York magazine accusing Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-90s, in Bergdorf Goodman department store in NYC. In the book, Caroll disclosed details of the supposed incident. The columnist said she ran into Trump at the store and amidst a conversation they were having he asked her for help with a gift he wanted to purchase for a woman. Trump then invited Caroll to try on lingerie. They went into a dressing room together, where Caroll claims that Trump closed the door, pushed her against the wall, forcibly kissed her, pulled down her tights and attempted to rape her before she was able to escape. In her allegations, Caroll stated that the incident lasted less than three minutes. Lisa Birnbach, author of the New York Times best-seller "The Official Preppy Handbook" and journalist and long-time news anchor for WCBS-TV in New York Carol Martin both told NY magazine that Jean Carroll had confided in them after the alleged sexual assault.
The attack caused Caroll “significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological damage, loss of self-esteem and invasion of her privacy."
On Truth social media platform, extensively used by the former president after he was banned from Twitter, Trump called Carroll's accusations “a hoax and a lie”, adding: “Even if I shouldn’t say it, I will. This woman is not my type.”
"Trump's recent defamatory statements – says Carroll's attorney– have added to the damage that Carroll had already suffered”. In her filed complaint, the journalist asked a judge to order Trump to withdraw his defamatory statements and to award her compensatory damages in an amount to be determined during the trial.
In November 2019, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court. The suit states that Trump had damaged her reputation, significantly harmed her professionally, and inflicted emotional pain.
In January 2020, Carroll's attorneys served a request for a DNA sample from Trump. The DNA sample is still being sought two years later.
In September 2020, Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers contended that Trump had acted in his official capacity while responding to Carroll's accusation. They asserted that the Federal Tort Claims Act[a] grants the DOJ the right to move the case to federal court.
In October 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected the DOJ's motion, arguing that the president is not a government employee and that Trump's comments were not job related.
In November 2020, the DOJ filed an appeal with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
On October 19, Trump was deposed as a witness in the case.
On October 25, the Court of Appeals scheduled oral arguments for January 2023, less than a month before the trial is scheduled to begin.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands with journalist Jean Carroll and all victims of sexual assault. We strongly denounce all acts of violence against women.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.