(PartiallyPolitics.com) – The Associated Press has reported that former President Donald Trump is not going to be testifying in the civil trial on the defamation and sexual battery case brought forth against him by writer E. Jean Carroll.
On Tuesday, Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, informed U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in the courtroom that Trump would not be attending the court trial. Trump is currently under no legal obligation to appear in the trial or provide testimony. However, while he is not scheduled to appear in court the jury might still be called to hear certain sections of his deposition from October.
Carroll filed in November a lawsuit for sexual battery related to the alleged attack in the mid-1990s and a defamation lawsuit against Trump for his October 2022 Truth Social post in which he judged Carroll’s appearance while denying the accusations.
Tacopina has indicated that one of the reasons Trump was unlikely to attend is because of the security concerns regarding his appearance at the courthouse. Tacopina has also requested from Kaplan that Trump’s presence be excused unless he is called to testify by either party in the case. Kaplan denied the motion and claimed that the court would accommodate Trump if he chose to attend, adding that this is what they would do for every person who had business before the court.
On Monday, Trump traveled to Scotland for the opening of a new golf course. This was while the trial was entering its second week.
On Wednesday, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump must pay $5 million in damages.
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