Lawyers deliver closing arguments in Trump civil rape case
09 May 2023 04:07pm
Magazine Columnist E. Jean Carroll arrives for her civil trial against former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Court on May 08, 2023 in New York City. Attorneys for E. Jean Carroll and Donald Trump are set to give closing arguments Monday morning in the battery and defamation trial against the former president in Manhattan federal court. Photo from AFP
In her closing argument, the longtime advice columnist’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said her client presented "credible”, "consistent” and "powerful” testimony during almost three days on the stand, whereas Trump "didn’t even bother to show up” at his civil rape trial.
Kaplan said the jurors nevertheless got to see him on video and once more played the notorious "Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women.
"That’s who Donald Trump is. That is how he thinks. And that is what he does. He thinks stars like him can get away with it,” Kaplan said. "He thinks he can get away with it here.”
Carroll is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit. Her lawyer said the case was not related to money, that it was "about getting her name back”.
Carroll, 79, alleges Trump raped her inside a Bergdorf Goodman changing room 25 years ago and defamed her when she accused him of raping her decades later.
Trump did not put on a defence case or choose to testify, despite telling reporters in Ireland last week that he was cutting his trip short to come back and "confront” his accuser. After learning of his comments, the judge allowed him a chance to reopen his case, with the deadline passing without a word from Trump.
The former president’s lawyers sought to discredit Carroll and her friends, Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin, who testified that she confided in them, alleging they schemed a plot to destroy him. Kaplan said Trump’s allegations existed without evidence.
In his lengthy summation, Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, banged his fists on the courtroom lectern and asked the jury to accompany him on a "journey to justice”. The defence attorney sought to highlight inconsistencies in Carroll’s testimony and performed dramatic readings of texts and emails between her and her friends.
Tacopina said Carroll’s case was an "affront” to the justice system and that she made up the assault for money, status and political reasons. He alleged she roped two friends into concocting a scheme to bring down Trump in alleging a sexual assault "ripped off the back pages of ‘Law & Order’.”
Tacopina has alleged Carroll found inspiration in a 2012 episode of the show featuring dialogue about a rape fantasy at Bergdorf Goodman.
During his rebuttal, Carroll’s lawyer, Mike Ferrara, said it was preposterous for Trump’s lawyers to allege the 11 witnesses called by Carroll risked throwing "away their reputations and livelihoods on some harebrained scheme” and stole a plot line from a show with six million viewers.
Ferrara said it was rich of Tacopina to talk about respecting the court.
"He never looked you in the eye and denied raping Ms Carroll,” Ferrara said. "You should draw the conclusion that’s because he did it. He raped Ms Carroll and he didn’t want to testify about it.”
Jurors are expected to begin deliberating the case on Tuesday. - BERNAMA
