Former President Donald Trump has launched a vehement critique of U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over a defamation trial resulting in Trump being ordered to pay upwards of $83 million to writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump's broadside, articulated in a series of impassioned posts on Truth Social, characterized Judge Kaplan as a "bully" and lambasted the legal proceedings as a "ridiculous and unfair Witch Hunt."
The crux of Trump's ire stems from a September ruling by Judge Kaplan, which found the former president guilty of defaming Carroll in 2019 by denying her allegations of sexual assault dating back to the 1990s in a Bergdorf Goodman store. This defamation case culminated in a jury mandating Trump to compensate Carroll, a former Elle columnist, with a hefty sum of $83.3 million, a decision Trump vehemently disputes.
"I am in the process, along with my team, of interviewing various law firms to represent me in an Appeal of one of the most ridiculous and unfair Witch Hunts our Country has ever seen," Trump asserted on Truth Social, signaling his intent to challenge the verdict. He continued, "This entire HOAX is a disgrace to our American System of Justice."
Trump's disdain for Judge Kaplan has been a recurring theme, with the former president frequently lambasting the judge both before and during the trial, despite the absence of a gag order that would prohibit such public criticisms, according to Newsweek.
The legal skirmish took a contentious turn when Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, insinuated a potential conflict of interest between Judge Kaplan and Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan (who shares no relation to the judge), based on their past association at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in the early 1990s. This allegation, however, was met with skepticism from legal experts and was eventually retracted by Habba following threats of sanctions from Roberta Kaplan for the "false allegations."
In May 2023, the legal saga intensified when a separate jury found Trump liable in a sexual battery and defamation lawsuit filed by Carroll, leading to a $5 million damages award. Trump's reaction to this verdict was one of outright rejection, as he pledged to appeal, denouncing it as part of a broader "Biden Directed Witch Hunt."
As Trump gears up for a protracted legal battle, his strategy involves not only challenging the existing verdicts but also potentially overhauling his legal representation in preparation for the appeals process. This legal confrontation not only underscores Trump's contentious relationship with the judiciary but also raises profound questions about the integrity of the legal system, the limits of free speech, and the politicization of legal proceedings in contemporary America.
In his Truth Social tirade, Trump remained unyielding, stating, "Any lawyer who takes a TRUMP CASE is either 'CRAZY,' or a TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT. I will make my decision soon," underscoring the polarizing nature of his legal and political saga.
