Donald Trump has been held liable for the second time for defaming writer E Jean Carroll, following a “partial summary judgment” finding the former president made defamatory statements about Ms Carroll in 2019 after she went public with claims he had raped her decades earlier.
In a civil trial scheduled for January, only monetary damages will be decided. A jury awarded woman $5 million in damages in May after finding Mr. Trump responsible for her sex assault and defamation.
In the meantime, all 18 of the former president’s co-defendants in the Georgia case involving the 2020 election interference have entered pleas and declined to be personally arraigned on the accusations. The first hearing in the case will still go place today despite the lack of in-person arraignments, which will probably be broadcast on television.
Judge Scott McAfee scheduled a hearing at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday in a filing on Tuesday to hear arguments regarding the trial’s scheduling and perhaps dividing the case. While Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants to prosecute all 19 defendants concurrently, several defendants are asking for the case to be split.
The federal election meddling case’s special prosecutor, Jack Smith, has accused Mr. Trump of making “daily extrajudicial statements that threaten to prejudice the jury pool” in other legal issues.