Trump is sued for defamation by woman who claims he raped her in 1990s

By Jonathan Stempel

 

FILE PHOTO: E. Jean Carroll is seen in an undated photo released on June 25, 2019. Courtesy E. Jean Carroll/Handout via REUTERS

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman who accuses Donald Trump of raping her more than 23 years ago in a New York department store sued the U.S. president on Monday over statements he made in June denying that the attack occurred and criticizing her for coming forward.

 

E. Jean Carroll, a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist, said in a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan that Trump lied about attacking her, and "smeared her integrity, honesty, and dignity" by concocting a "swarm of related lies" to explain why she would make the incident up.

 

Carroll's account of the alleged rape at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue, which she said occurred between the autumn of 1995 and spring of 1996, had been published in New York magazine in June, excerpted from her memoir released the following month.

 

"The lawsuit is frivolous and the story is a fraud - just like the author," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. "The story she used to try and sell her trash book never happened, period."

 

Carroll's lawsuit followed statements that Trump made after her account was published, including that he did not rape Carroll and had never met her, and that she was "totally lying" as part of an effort to boost book sales.

 

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" he told The Hill newspaper in Washington.

 

In her complaint, Carroll said the attack lasted two to three minutes, before she ran out of the dressing room and onto Fifth Avenue.

 

Carroll said in the lawsuit she soon confided in two friends, author Lisa Birnbach and former WCBS news anchor Carol Martin, about the alleged attack, but did not report Trump to authorities because she feared retribution.

 

She said she went public after accounts in 2017 of alleged sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, which he has denied, spawned the #MeToo movement.

 

"No person in this country should be above the law -including the President," Carroll said in a statement provided by her lawyers.

 

Trump has denied accusations by more than one dozen women who said he made unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics.

 

He also faces a defamation lawsuit by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on his television show "The Apprentice," who claimed he kissed her against her will in 2007 in New York and later groped her at a Beverly Hills hotel.

 

Zervos sued after Trump republished on Twitter a post calling her accusations a "hoax."

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-05

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3 minutes ago, webfact said:

a "hoax."

The whole world around Trump seems to be a hoax.

4 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The whole world around Trump seems to be a hoax.

 

Just fake

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.

What kind of logic is that?
If she had been his type, would he have raped her then?
Instead of basically speaking out against rape in general, does Trump make it dependent on the victim's appearance?
And that from the mouth of the President of the United States?
Unbelievable that he receives applause from so many people in the USA.

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The lawsuit is frivolous and the story is a fraud - just like the author," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. "The story she used to try and sell her trash book never happened, period."

Everytime they lie to cover his lies they always add Period at the end of the statement .

Where there is smoke there is fire is an adage that seems to go missing with regard to Trump.

So why did this woman never come forward before 2017 and why not go to the Police at the time?

Just now, Orton Rd said:

So why did this woman never come forward before 2017 and why not go to the Police at the time?

Because 2020 elections are coming...

30 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.

What kind of logic is that?
If she had been his type, would he have raped her then?
Instead of basically speaking out against rape in general, does Trump make it dependent on the victim's appearance?
And that from the mouth of the President of the United States?
Unbelievable that he receives applause from so many people in the USA.

Yes. Exactly. This is truly a SICK situation. 

5 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

So why did this woman never come forward before 2017 and why not go to the Police at the time?

Actually she has gone on public record for what she was thinking at the time explaining why she didn't. Believe her or not. I believe her over a "president" that frequently contradicts himself in the SAME SENTENCE. 

54 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The whole world around Trump seems to be a hoax.

Not always, sometimes it's a witch hunt...

20 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

 

 

21 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

So why did this woman never come forward before 2017 and why not go to the Police at the time?

Carroll said in the lawsuit she soon confided in two friends, author Lisa Birnbach and former WCBS news anchor Carol Martin, about the alleged attack, but did not report Trump to authorities because she feared retribution.

Wouldent put it past him he has gotten away with rotten stuff all his life his and his family’s wealth has always protected him unfortunately he needs a good old fashioned beat down it would do him good imo

32 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Actually she has gone on public record for what she was thinking at the time explaining why she didn't. Believe her or not. I believe her over a "president" that frequently contradicts himself in the SAME SENTENCE. 

5555.....who to believe:  Trump or...anyone else?

 

I would believe anyone else 100% of the time. 

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" he told The Hill newspaper in Washington.

The man can't even issue a denial with any dignity.

Just another feminist attention seeker who wants to sell her book.

 

If i were Trump i would sue her for defamation.

23 + years later, another one comes out of the woodwork,  attention seeker, was she brain dead for all those years. i think its pretty sad how someone can make these accusations and of course the media, being like they are, give it full blown ? covereage, look pretty butch to me, still i expect she was pretty 23 years ago

2 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

23 + years later, another one comes out of the woodwork,  attention seeker, was she brain dead for all those years. i think its pretty sad how someone can make these accusations and of course the media, being like they are, give it full blown ? covereage,

Excuse me, but you're calling HER an attention seeker? That's rich considering who is the accused rapist. 

Probably did have sex with him but then considered it 'rape' when she regretted it, or did not get something of benefit for herself. Either way it's just the usual she said he said with no evidence.

Seriously??  Another one??  Back in June claimed Trump raped her in her new book titled:  

What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal - I think that says it all about this woman.

The book is a dud and you can get it now for a huge discount ????

 

So now, because the book didnt sell enough probably, she decides, months later, that what Trump about her in response to being alleged to have raped her was 'not nice' and she wants money.  She is oblivious to the fact that falsely claiming Trump raped her 'sometime back in 1995 or 1996' is a very bad thing to do and would get some pushback.

 

Just like all the others who made false allegations against Trump before the last election, and against Kavanagh when being confirmed for the SCOTUS, and a lot of others in the #metoo movement, all for political reasons, this will be proven to be a false allegation.  But the big problem is that when this happens (yet again), this will make future genuine claims seem doubtful.  Women who do this are doing a great disservice to other women who have been genuinely raped - but because of their political anger and deceit - they dont care about them. 

 

By the way - in December, a defamation suit brought against Trump by porn star Stephanie Clifford - also known as Stormy Daniels - who also said what Trump said about her allegations was 'not nice' - failed. And a federal judge ordered Clifford to pay Trump's attorney's nearly $300,000.    My bet is that this will also backfire on this very dubious and obviously IMO 'damaged' woman.

 

Who was it that said"grab them by the pussy!"

Really?

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

So why did this woman never come forward before 2017 and why not go to the Police at the time?

That question has already been answered.

But here's my take: The Me Too movement gave many women the balls to speak out. Prior to Me Too, and feeling alone, many of these violated women buried their stories and feelings deep inside of themselves.

Strength in numbers !

2 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

"I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.

What kind of logic is that?
If she had been his type, would he have raped her then?
Instead of basically speaking out against rape in general, does Trump make it dependent on the victim's appearance?
And that from the mouth of the President of the United States?
Unbelievable that he receives applause from so many people in the USA.

 

Would that he repeats it in court.

 

Oscar Wilde made a similar comment, in Libel court, that bankrupted him.

 

At the time homosexuality was a criminal offence in the UK and when questioned about kissing a boy he replied:

 

"Oh, dear no. He was a particularly plain boy – unfortunately ugly – I pitied him for it."

 

It lost him the case (which he had brought to court) and did nothing to help him in a subsequent criminal trial that earned him 2 years hard labour.

 

Happily homosexuality is no longer a criminal offence in the UK.

 

However I believe that in the USA Rape is.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Youlike said:

Just another feminist attention seeker who wants to sell her book.

 

If i were Trump i would sue her for defamation.

I hope he does.

 

See previous post #15

 

 

2 hours ago, zydeco said:

The man can't even issue a denial with any dignity.

As issuing a denial with “dignity” would make any difference to the left. 
 

The left can call him, his wife and his kids anything they like. 

3 hours ago, Youlike said:

Just another feminist attention seeker who wants to sell her book.

 

If i were Trump i would sue her for defamation.

...and then settle for a few million, a few months later...?!

16 minutes ago, RideJocky said:

As issuing a denial with “dignity” would make any difference to the left. 
 

The left can call him, his wife and his kids anything they like. 

Yeah...please defend the champion of civility, who only speaks of his opponents in highest of praises! 

Jesus, man!

Actually she's doing the sort of thing DT does, sues people.  His lawsuit enterprise is on hold while at his current job.

He's even threatened to sue a judge: after getting a verdict he didn't like he told the judge "I'll see you in court" right there in the courtroom.

 

 

 

why would anyone want to have sex with an ugly  female that looks more like a man, another load of BS  like several others have claimed

 

Cannot see how he has defamed her.

He is entitled to say how he feels about her if he so wishes. This is not Thailand.