On September 6, 2023, Kaplan Hecker & Fink secured another win on behalf of writer E. Jean Carroll. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that she will not be required to prove again that former President Donald Trump defamed her in a second defamation lawsuit. Judge Lewis Kaplan's ruling means that the January 2024 trial will focus on the monetary damages that Trump owes Carroll. She is seeking $10 million in damages.
This decision follows a May 2023 jury verdict ordering Trump to pay Carroll $5 million for sexual assault and defamation. Trump is appealing both the spring jury verdict and Judge Kaplan’s refusal to dismiss the second lawsuit. E. Jean Carroll's attorney and KHF partner Roberta Kaplan issued a brief statement after the ruling was filed: “We look forward to trial limited to damages for the original defamatory statements Donald Trump made about our client E. Jean Carroll in 2019.”
The New York Times covered today’s decision in “Trump’s Next Defamation Trial Will Skip to What Damages He Should Pay.” Read the article here.