(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is now suing the writer who sued him for defamation.
Trump is accusing E. Jean Carroll of defaming him when, after a jury held him liable for sexually assaulting her but not raping her as she initially claimed, Carroll appeared on television and insisted he did rape her.
“In response to that specific inquiry, Counterclaim Defendant disregarded the jury’s finding that Counterclaimant did not rape her, and replied: ‘Oh yes he did, oh yes he did,'” the lawsuit said.
Trump’s counterclaim said Carroll’s statements following her successful battery and defamation lawsuit caused “significant harm to his reputation,” making him deserving of compensatory and punitive damages.
The former president’s lawsuit also took aim at statements Carroll said she made privately to defense attorney Joe Tacopina at the conclusion of the trial.
“Specifically, Counterclaim Defendant stated in the Interview that she emphatically told Mr. Tacopina at the conclusion of the trial that ‘he did it and you know it,’ again reaffirming her claim that Counterclaimant raped her. Counterclaim Defendant made these statements knowing each of them were false or with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity,” Trump’s lawsuit said.
A jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages in May. Trump’s attorney recently put $5.5 million into an account controlled by the court while the defense pursues an appeal of the jury’s verdict and damage award.
In a statement, Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, called Trump’s counterclaim an attempt to delay accountability.
“Donald Trump again argues, contrary to both logic and fact, that he was exonerated by a jury that found that he sexually abused E Jean Carroll by forcibly inserting his fingers into her vagina. Four out of the five statements in Trump’s so-called counterclaim were made outside of New York’s one-year statute of limitations. The other statement similarly will not withstand a motion to dismiss,” Kaplan said.
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