Trump found liable in E. Jean Carroll defamation suit

Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday was found liable for defamatory remarks he made against writer E. Jean Carroll when he denied her rape accusations in 2019.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in the decision that the jury found "Mr. Trump's 2019 statements were made with actual malice." 

Kaplan said that jurors at a separate but related lawsuit in May found that Trump sexually abused Carroll in a department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.

The jurors at the end of the two-week trial found that Trump defamed her in remarks when he denied the allegations last year.

Trump was ordered to pay $5 million (€4.6 million) in damages to Carroll for sexual assault. Trump has appealed the damages and the case. 

A civil trial related to Wednesday's case is scheduled for January 15 which will decide how much Trump owes Carroll in damages.

Trump suffers setback in separate civil lawsuit

Meanwhile, a New York judge also rejected Trump's request to delay a civil lawsuit accusing him, family members, and his business of overvaluing assets by billions of dollars.

The trial is scheduled for October 2. New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron shot down Trump's request, saying it was "completely without merit."

Engoron had earlier this year said the trial date would not change "come hell or high water." Trump's lawyers have not reacted to the news yet. 

Trump has separately pleaded not guilty to charges in four separate criminal cases, including two indictments for attempting to reverse his 2020 election loss.

Despite his legal tribulations, Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.  

rm/nm (Reuters, AP)