A criminal defense attorney has suggested that the woman who won a $88.3 million lawsuit against former President Donald Trump could potentially file additional defamation suits against him in Georgia and New York.
Keith Johnson, a resident of Georgia, expressed his response to remarks made by Trump. These comments were made during a campaign rally in Georgia on March 9 and in an interview on CNBC, which is headquartered in New York.
In January, a jury found him liable for additional comments he had made about her, leading to her filing another lawsuit. As a result, she was awarded a substantial amount of $83.3 million in damages.
According to Johnson, Mr. Trump has made two statements in the past week that could be considered defamatory regarding E. Jean Carroll’s allegations against him. The first statement was made in Rome, Georgia, where he stated, “I just posted a $91 million bond on a fake story—totally made up.” He then repeated similar comments on CNBC, a New York-based network, saying, “I don’t know who that is…I got sued. Wow, that’s crazy,” Johnson explained.
According to Johnson, a recognized criminal defense attorney in the United States, the case would most likely be transferred to Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York if Carroll decides to sue again. Johnson, who was acknowledged by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys, shared this insight.
According to Johnson, Ms. Carroll’s legal team has the option to file a lawsuit in the Northern District of Georgia in response to Mr. Trump’s remarks in Rome, Georgia. However, the comments made by Mr. Trump on CNBC provide an opening for Ms. Carroll’s attorney to file a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. It is probable that the case would be assigned to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who also presided over Mr. Trump’s recent trials.
Trump could argue that his most recent comments have not caused further harm to Carroll’s reputation.
According to the legal expert, the Trump team will assert that Ms. Carroll’s recent defamation claims hold no merit, as there have been no new damages caused by Mr. Trump’s latest comments. They will further argue that since the case has been in the public eye for several years, any perceived harm to Ms. Carroll’s reputation cannot be attributed to these recent statements.
