Former President Donald Trump is making a new move in his legal battle against E. Jean Carroll, asking the judge overseeing her defamation case to significantly reduce the $83.3 million jury award or grant a new trial.
The legal team representing the former President argued that Judge Lewis Kaplan wrongly restricted his testimony, influencing the jury's verdict.
Trump's legal team asserted that Kaplan erred by preventing Trump from testifying about "his own state of mind" and by giving an "erroneous jury instruction on the definition of common-law malice." They contend that the jury should have been instructed to find that it was Trump's "sole, exclusive desire to harm" Carroll, CNN reported.
"This Court's erroneous decision to dramatically limit the scope of President Trump's testimony almost certainly influenced the jury's verdict, and thus a new trial is warranted," the lawyers wrote in court filings on Tuesday
The legal maneuver comes amid Trump's request for more time to post the bond, with Trump seeking an additional 30 days after the judge rules on post-trial briefs. Carroll opposes the request, challenging Trump to provide evidence of his ability to afford the payment.
Trump's lawyers further advocated for reducing the $11 million awarded to repair Carroll's reputation, deeming it excessive compared to the 2023 verdict. They labeled the $65 million punitive damages as "grossly excessive" and suggested a 1-to-1 ratio with compensatory damages.
Notably, a jury awarded an additional $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, the renowned advice columnist who accused Trump of sexual assault.
The defamation case centers around Carroll's claims that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in 1995 or early 1996. Trump denied the allegations.
The jury's decision, delivered by an anonymous panel of seven men and two women, adds to the $5 million sexual assault and defamation verdict awarded to Carroll by another jury last year. In total, Trump now owes Carroll a staggering $88.3 million.
The judge is now weighing Trump's request, further intensifying the legal drama surrounding the high-profile case.