Yahoo Finance 'Grant of immunity': New twist in Trump accuser's lawsuit
The US government said President Donald Trump should not be forced to defend a defamation lawsuit placed against him by a woman who accused him of rape 25 years ago.
Author E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, but the government has argued it should be substituted as the defendant.
In a filing with the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, the Department of Justice said Trump qualified as a typical “employee of the government” entitled to immunity under federal law from Carroll’s claims, and was also shielded because he spoke about her in his capacity as president.
The law “provides a broad grant of immunity” to Trump, the Justice Department said, echoing arguments the president has made in other litigation.
Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, sued Trump in November 2019 after he denied having raped her in a Manhattan department store in mid-1990s.
Trump said Carroll made up the story to sell a new book, and added: “She’s not my type.”
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A lawyer for Carroll had no immediate comment, having yet to review the filing.
Trump is appealing US District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s October 27 refusal to drop Trump from the case.
A reversal would likely doom Carroll’s defamation claim.
It is unclear whether the Justice Department will pursue the case on Trump’s behalf after the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, the Democrat who defeated the outgoing Republican in the November election.
Trump also faces other legal threats after leaving office, including criminal and civil probes in New York into his business dealings.
Carroll has said she would wait until after the appeal to depose Trump and to collect a DNA sample to compare against a dress she said she wore when Trump allegedly assaulted her.
Trump has denied claims of several women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
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