NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge wants to know if former President Donald Trump plans to attend a trial in New York this month stemming from a columnist’s claim that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued an order Monday ordering the parties in the case to notify him by April 20 whether they will be present at the full trial, which is scheduled to begin April 25 in Manhattan federal court. And later in the day, he rejected a request that the names of the anonymous jurors be released to lawyers, saying Trump’s latest public statement part of a criminal case against him in state court indicated that jurors could be harassed if their identities were obtained.
One writer, E. Jean Carroll, sued Trump in November, alleging that he raped her in early 1996 after a one-time meeting at the Bergdorf Goodman department store. He repeated it and vehemently denied it of language that would certainly be emphasized for a jury to decide whether rape occurred and whether Trump disparaged Carroll in his comments.
Rape claims were made immediately after a temporary state law took effect allowing adult rape victims to sue their abusers, even if the assaults occurred decades ago.
Trump’s lawyers did not respond Monday to requests for comment on Kaplan’s order.
Attorney Roberta Kaplan, no relation to the judge, said Carroll “intends to be present for the entire trial.”
In his order, the judge asked “each party” to inform him in writing if he intends to attend the entire trial. If not, he asks to be told what dates and times each individual is absent.
The judge said the order should not be interpreted as suggesting whether either side is obligated to attend the entire trial or what legal consequences may result from a decision not to attend the entire hearing.
The judge is likely to be interested in knowing when Trump can be in court because of the special security arrangements required for a former president protected by the Secret Service who is campaigning for a second term in office.
Last week, Trump arrived in a motorcade for an arraignment in New York state court where he pleaded not guilty to a 34-count felony indictment accusing him of breaking the law. in a bid to silence women who claimed to have had extramarital affairs with him years before his successful campaign. for the presidency on the Republican ticket in 2016.
Judge Kaplan cited public comments Trump made after the appearance, as he rejected a request by lawyers on both sides of the rape case to reveal the names of the anonymous jurors. Recently, he decided that the jury will be anonymouswhich spoke about the “strong possibility” that there could be “harassment or worse” of jurors by Trump supporters.
“The possibility of such difficulties since the Court made the findings has increased. That is so in view of Mr. Trump’s public statements,” he said, citing media reports describing the statements of Trump as attacks against the presiding judge in his criminal case.
The judge also cited “threats reportedly made in the past, possibly by supporters of Mr. Trump, against said judge and members of his family.” In a footnote, the judge cited media reports including a story that said the judge in the criminal case had received death threats after Trump’s arrest.
Last October, Trump underwent a videotaped deposition where he was asked about Carroll’s claims, which were first made public in a 2019 memoir by a former longtime Elle magazine columnist.
In the deposition, Trump dismissed Carroll’s claims, saying: “Physically he’s not my type.”
Even if Trump decides not to attend the trial, it is likely that important parts of his deposition will be watched by the jury.
In recent weeks, the judge denied requests by Trump’s lawyers to exclude testimony from two women who claimed sexual abuse against Trump in circumstances similar to those alleged by Carroll and from two individuals who worked at the department store at the time the rape occurred. .
He also ordered that jurors hear misogynistic comments Trump made about women in 2005 on an “Access Hollywood” tape.
The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they were sexually assaulted, unless they go public, as Carroll did.
