E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual abuse and defamation, has been granted permission to amend her original lawsuit against Trump. The new request comes in response to comments made by Trump during a CNN town hall last month.
Judge Lewis Kaplan of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan granted Carroll’s request, despite opposition from Trump’s legal team. Carroll’s lawsuit now seeks at least $10 million in damages. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, stated, “We maintain that she should not be permitted to retroactively change her legal theory, at the eleventh hour, to avoid the consequences of an adverse finding against her.”
During the CNN town hall, Trump made remarks about Carroll, stating:
“What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes, you’re playing hanky-panky in a dressing room, OK?” Trump said during that event. “I swear on my children, which I never do, I have no idea who this woman is. This is a fake story, made-up story.”
The judge also set a deadline of next month for the Justice Department to weigh in on whether it still believed that Trump was acting within the scope of his employment when he made the comments in 2019.
The Justice Department under Trump and Biden said that he was, which tied the original lawsuit up on appeal. Following the May jury finding in Carroll’s favor, the Justice Department has asked for more time, suggesting it was reconsidering its position.
Here’s a clip from the CNN town hall:
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