Trump sues E. Jean Carroll for defamation

STORY: Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Tuesday sued columnist E. Jean Carroll for defamation, making a counterclaim alleging she falsely accused him of rape after a civil trial – one in which the jury found he WAS liable for sexual abuse but not for rape.

That verdict came in May.

Caroll, a former Elle magazine writer, had testified that Trump raped her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and then ruined her reputation by calling her a liar when she went public in 2019.

Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages, but he is appealing the verdict.

In Tuesday’s counterclaim, Trump cited Carroll’s statements on CNN after the May verdict, when she said he raped her despite the jury’s finding that the former president was only liable for sexual abuse and defamation and not for rape.

In the filing, Trump seeks a retraction, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Carroll’s lawyer said in a statement that Trump’s filing was “nothing more than his latest effort to delay accountability”.

Trump’s lawyer did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Trump is bidding to return to the White House in 2024 and has a comfortable lead over his Republican rivals.