Trump team moves to put second E. Jean Carroll lawsuit on hold

The suit had been on hold due to questions as to whether Trump enjoyed immunity due to his having made the statements while in office.

By Ben Whedon

Published: July 28, 2023 4:41pm

Former President Donald Trump's legal team has asked that a judge place writer E. Jean Carroll's second suit against him on hold while an appeals court decides on Trump's claims to enjoy presidential immunity.

A jury held Trump liable for battery and defamation against Carroll in May, awarding her $5 million in damages. The defamation counts in that suit pertained to 2022 comments from the then-former president. Her current suit involves 2019 statements he made disparaging her claims when she originally made them.

The suit had been on hold due to questions as to whether Trump enjoyed immunity due to his having made the statements while in office. Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the immunity argument in late June, prompting Trump's current appeal.

The former president has since asked Kaplan to pause the suit until the appellate court reaches its decision on the matter, the New York Post reported.

Trump attorney Alina Habba told the outlet that "[b]oth history and precedent support the notion that President Trump has a meritorious immunity defense in this case... as such, we are seeking a stay of proceedings pending the Second Circuit’s adjudication of this issue."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.