The second defamation trial brought against Donald Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll was delayed on Monday after one of the jurors fell ill, CBS News reported.
The trial, which began on January 16, relates to comments Trump made in 2019 following Carroll’s revelation that he raped her in the 1990s. The judge in the case already ruled that Trump’s remarks were defamatory, so the trial is for the jury to determine the amount Trump will have to pay in damages.
Before Monday’s hearing, Judge Lewis Kaplan announced that one of the jurors complained about not feeling well on the way to the courthouse that morning.
In requesting an adjournment, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said that she too was not feeling well and was running a fever. Habba told the judge that both of her parents, whom she dined with last week, had tested positive for COVID. According to Habba, Trump’s other attorney Michael Madaio had also been exposed, though neither she nor Madaio tested positive before the hearing.
Trump was scheduled to testify in Monday’s hearing but after Habba requested an adjournment, Judge Kaplan delayed the hearing and indicated that the court would reconvene on Tuesday, the day of the New Hampshire primary.
However, the court announced later on Monday that the trial would adjourn until Wednesday morning.
Carroll has sued Donald Trump twice for defamation over remarks he made about her when denying her accusation of rape.
In May 2023, a New York jury found that Trump defamed Carroll in remarks he made in 2022 when he claimed that her accusation was a “con job” and a “hoax.”
When Carroll first revealed in 2019 that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goldman dressing room in Manhattan, then-President Trump called her a liar and claimed that he never met her before.
An expert witness called to testify in the trial told the court that to repair the damage Trump did to Carroll’s reputation could cost as much as $12.1 million.
Attorneys for Carroll are seeking $10 million along with other unspecified punitive damages.
