Judge denies Trump’s request to dismiss defamation lawsuit.

A New York Judge Rejects Trump’s Request to Dismiss Defamation Charges

A New York judge has made a significant decision in the ongoing legal battle between former President Donald Trump and columnist E. Jean Carroll. Just two days after Trump countersued Carroll for defamation, the judge rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the charges against him.

In a 46-page opinion, the judge firmly denied Trump’s claims of “absolute presidential immunity” and refused to dismiss the case on any of the four grounds presented by Trump.

Carroll is suing Trump for defamation after he publicly declared in a 2019 interview that she was lying about her allegation of rape against him in the 1990s.

Trump’s response to the allegation was, “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, okay?” However, a jury recently found Trump guilty of sexually assaulting Carroll and held him liable for defamation.

The legal battle continues as Carroll filed a third defamation claim against Trump for his remarks during a CNN Town Hall in May. In response, Trump countersued Carroll for defamation over a comment she made on CNN following the jury verdict.

Trump argued for the dismissal of the claims, citing “non-waivable” presidential immunity. He claimed that his ability to govern the nation was threatened by Carroll’s accusations. However, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan concluded that Trump failed to demonstrate a connection between Carroll’s statements and his official responsibilities as president.

Judge Kaplan also noted that even if presidential immunity did apply, Trump’s delay in invoking it when Carroll filed the suit weakened his argument.

Carroll’s attorney expressed satisfaction with the judge’s decision, stating that it removes another obstacle to the upcoming trial scheduled for January 15.

With this rejection, the case will proceed to trial, adding to the list of pending cases against Trump, including an indictment by the Department of Justice over alleged mishandling of classified documents.