Former President Donald Trump is facing multiple lawsuits and accusations. Trump asserts the charges are spurious and a thinly veiled attempt to keep him from running for office in 2024. On Tuesday, Trump received a rare bit of good news regarding a serious defamation suit he is facing.
A New York Federal Appeals Court handed Trump a partial victory on Tuesday when it ruled that his comments were protected under a federal law that gives broad legal immunity to government employees.
The case was brought forward by E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s and making defamatory statements about her when he served as president.
The divided three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit determined that a “lower court erred when it ruled that Trump’s accuser, E. Jean Carroll, could sue Trump personally for the allegedly defamatory statements he made about her during his presidency,” according to The Hill.
Tuesday’s ruling, however, was not the final word in the case. The 2nd Circuit panel asked Washington, D.C’s, superior court to weigh in on a key issue that could have a bearing on Trump’s immunity claim.
In question is whether Trump was operating “outside the scope” of his presidency when he allegedly defamed Carroll.
Carroll claims that Trump defamed her by casting doubt on her credibility and making derogatory comments about her appearance. The D.C. Court of Appeals will determine if the defamation suit will move forward.
Trump strongly denies raping Carroll — telling The Hill in a June 2019 interview that Carroll was “totally lying.”
Trump added: “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?”
Carroll’s attorneys stated they were confident the D.C. Court of Appeals would rule in their favor.
The Hill included a statement from Carroll’s attorneys in their profile of the proceedings:
“Donald Trump was not acting within the scope of his duties as President when he defamed our client, E. Jean Carroll because he was not serving any purpose of the federal government and because the comment ‘she’s not my type’ is not something one would expect the President of the United States to say in the course of his duties.”
Trump’s lead attorney on this case, Alina Habba, celebrated Tuesday’s ruling by the federal appeals court.
“We are extremely pleased with the Second Circuit’s decision today in reversing and vacating the District Court’s finding in this matter. This decision will protect the ability of all future Presidents to effectively govern without hindrance.”
Habba added: “We are confident that the D.C. Court of Appeals will find that our client was acting within the scope of his employment when properly repudiating Ms. Carroll’s allegations.”
The Hill noted that “separate from the defamation suit, Carroll intends to bring a civil suit against Trump for his alleged sexual assault.”
Carroll’s attorneys reportedly said the sexual assault case “will be brought under a New York law that takes effect in November.” The new law permits victims of sexual assault to bring forward charges after the normal statute of limitations expires.
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