Donald Trump’s lawyer said on Monday (Jan 29) that a possible conflict of interest by the judge overseeing the recent E. Jean Carroll libel trial could be grounds to overturn the $83.3 million (S$110 million) award to the writer.
Alina Habba filed a letter in Manhattan federal court citing a 27 January New York Post article. The article details US District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s alleged working relationship with Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to him.
Before Judge Kaplan was appointed to the federal bench in 1994, the two worked simultaneously for about two years at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in the early 1990s.
The article quotes an unnamed former Paul Weiss partner as saying that Roberta Kaplan sought to distinguish herself, as all partners do, and Judge Kaplan was “like a mentor” to her.
Habba says this “particularly troubling” issue could be grounds for a new trial on liability and damages, which could also be supported by the judge’s “openly hostile” attitude toward Trump’s side and “preferential” treatment of Carroll’s side.
Judge Kaplan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment after hours. Representatives for Carroll and Roberta Kaplan did not immediately respond to similar requests, but one told the Post there was no conflict. Paul Weiss also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump plans to appeal last Friday’s $83.3 million verdict, which was based on his June 2019 denial that he raped Carroll in the fitting room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s.
Carroll’s $83.3 million verdict included $18.3 million of compensatory damages and $65 million of punitive damages.
Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, has consistently denied Carroll’s claims. He blasted the verdict on his social media website shortly after the verdict was handed down. He wrote on Truth Social:
I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE — A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!
