Jury selection is scheduled to start Tuesday in a civil trial pitting Donald Trump against a prominent former American columnist, who says he raped her in the 1990s.

E. Jean Carroll, 79, says Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store and then defamed her after she went public with the allegations years later.

Trump, who is facing a slew of legal woes that threaten to derail his 2024 run for a second term in the White House, denies the allegations.

The start of the trial comes just weeks after his historic arraignment on criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 election.

Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, says she was raped by Trump in the changing room at the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.

She said the attack came after Trump asked her for shopping advice.

Carroll first made the allegation in an excerpt from her book published by New York Magazine in 2019.

Trump responded then by saying he never met Carroll, that she was “not my type” and that she was “totally lying.”

Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in 2019 but was unable to include the rape claim because the statute of limitations for the alleged offense had expired.

But a new law took effect in November last year in New York that gives redress to victims of sexual assault decades after attacks may have occurred.

What to expect from Trump's court appearance

It gave sexual assault victims in the state a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers even when the abuse occurred long ago.

US begins civil trial on rape allegation against Trump, Lawyers for Carroll filed a new suit that accused Trump of battery, “when he forcibly raped and groped” her.

It also included defamation for a post that Trump made on his Truth Social platform where he denied the alleged rape and referred to Carroll as a “complete con job.”

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for psychological harm, pain and suffering, loss of dignity, and damage to her reputation.

Trump is not expected to testify as Carroll’s lawyers have said they do not intend to call him to the witness stand.

The trial is likely to last between one to two weeks.

Trump became the first sitting or former president to have ever been charged with a crime when he was arrested in the hush-money case earlier this month.

He is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House, and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

AFP

Source: https://punchng.com/US-begins-civil-trial-on-rape-allegation-against-Trump

If America mean you ehn.

BTW our President (S)elect don chop Amala finish?

Lmao. They shall want to stop this dude by all means.

They can only try.

Biden and the Dems has disrupted the world peace enough.

Trump is a clown but at least he had a firm grip on the globe and maintained peace. The man had influence on Putin and Xi.

It shows the USA has peaked if Biden and Trump are the only top leaders they can offer.

Hopium:
Lmao. They shall want to stop this dude by all means.

They can only try.

Biden and the Dems has disrupted the world peace enough.

Trump is a clown but at least he had a firm grip on the globe and maintained peace. The man had influence on Putin and Xi.

It shows the USA has peaked if Biden and Trump are the only top leaders they can offer.

They allowed the cases linger. This is a case that started from his time in office. This is why it is necessary to have institutions that work efficiently. They were way too tardy and as a result the timing is looking so bad now that his crimes are now being seen through political lens. 5 years is way too long for this kind of issues if they are serious.

Futility exercise

What happened to Ukraine collusion?

Trump will come out victorious

He is not dull like our drug lord here in Nigeria

Trump my guy

Anything theses days is called rape. . He paid a hooker and now that's rape... this will only make our president more popular

This is a country that works and the law is not partial or dead as is the case in Nigeria. Nobody is above the law and Trump must face the penalty if guilty.

Lock him up! He's a template of unruly political "Baba Nla Nonsense" everywhere. He's the symbol of Packaged Frauds who wanted to be president even after mismanaging their 8-tenure as governor of a State in the backwaters of our Country.

I don’t know how she can prove this but I’ll watch and see how it goes

Trump in the mud..

I see Trump going to jail.

Tho I have seen.

Ok

We will need someone with balls to try Buhari on the killings of the Fulani herdsmen.

Dumb Trumpet lord savoir of wailing wailers.

Be typing "this is a Country that works" until dey sell you still collect money for your hand for selling you.

Oga Donald don enter am already, yesterday dem sack Fox and CNN boys, today na Donald matter enter.

You better learn to dey control your Hand and Mouth, make dem no go carry you go where you no want go.

Na one fake "Traditional leaders" mouth carry go cell for Lagos and him still dey Dere dey crack jokes of IP** things.

Kai! Matter of 1990's, Na waoh.

revolt:
Anything theses days is called rape. . He paid a hooker and now that's rape... this will only make our president more popular

It's a different case oga. Try dey read instead of commenting ignorantly. This isn't Stormy Daniel's case.

Hummmmm... This is political

Witch hunting as usual. Democrats should stop the political prosecution

All I know is that Trump will win 2024 election . I bet the gbola of crazy mod that had placed me on ban on this

Noted.

Baba go hear word finally.

What is the precise date for the Nigerian 2023 census?

I suspected that this will happen.

Ha

1990 hahahahaha
Wahala

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

Nothing will happen...
All the way Trump........
The dogged fearless fighter.
Slayer of terrorists and lovers of chaos and war.
Your legacy lives on.......
Haters can go to hell!!!