According to reporting by the Associated Press, former President Donald Trump will not testify in a civil trial regarding allegations of sexual harassment and defamation brought against him by author E. Jean Carroll.
On Tuesday (May 2), Trump’s attorney reportedly made the final plea to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in a courtroom, which comes after it was recently announced that the former President would not appear in the civil trial, given he doesn’t have a legal obligation to testify or appear.
Although Trump won’t be testifying directly in court, jurors can still hear some of Trump’s testimony starting in October.
Carroll accuses the former President of raping her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In November, Carroll heightened her accusation by filing her complaint against Trump in November.
Carrol is suing Trump for sexual battery in the 1990s incident and defamation stemming from an October 2022 post from Truth Social, in which Trump repeatedly denied Carroll’s claims and criticized her appearance.
Before the trial, Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina suggested that Trump might not participate, citing the security implications of his arrival at the courthouse and the “burdens” on the city.
The trial will be conducted a block away from where Trump’s criminal trial took place last month in an unrelated case.
Tacopina asked Judge Kaplan to instruct the jury that Trump’s presence is “excused” unless he is called by either side to testify.
Kaplan rejected that motion, insisting that the court could accommodate the former President if he decided to attend.
