Testimony in former President Donald Trump’s defamation trial brought by E. Jean Carroll was postponed for a day because of COVID-19 concerns.
Before proceedings began Monday, Alina Habba, Trump’s lawyer, asked Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the trial, for a one-day adjournment when she said she wasn’t feeling well after one or both of her parents were exposed to COVID.
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, faces a second defamation trial Carroll, a former Elle columnist, that began last Tuesday and will determine how much Trump owes in damages.
A civil trial that concluded last May found that Trump was liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, who ultimately was rewarded $5 million. The accusation of defamation against Trump follows his denial that he sexually assaulted her at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s in New York City. In 2019, he said Carroll was “not my type,” suggesting she made up the allegation. In this lawsuit, Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages.
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In addition to Habba, one juror has also been feeling sick and is being tested for COVID-19, according to NBC News.
Kaplan granted the request and trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Adam Klasfeld, senior legal correspondent at The Messenger, wrote about the pause in proceedings on X, formerly Twitter, as he was reporting from the courtroom.
“Alina Habba’s parents were exposed to COVID, but she tested negative,” he wrote. “She has asked for a daylong adjournment. Judge Kaplan grants the request.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
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