Former Elle advice columnist E. Jean Carroll is taking advantage of a new law in New York to file a civil suit against former President Donald Trump for allegedly raping her in the 1990s, according to court records released on Tuesday, The New York Times reports.
Earlier this year, New York state passed a law that grants adult victims of sexual assault a one-time opportunity to sue, even if the statute of limitations has expired. Carroll sued Trump in 2019 for defamation in response to him branding her a liar and denying he assaulted her in a New York department store dressing room.
In a letter to the federal judge overseeing the defamation lawsuit, Carroll's lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, wrote that they intend to file the new case against Trump on Nov. 24. The day marks the beginning of the one year that the law allows for such suits to be filed. Kaplan added that she plans to ask Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Southern District of New York to try the two cases simultaneously on Feb. 6.
Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, responded with a letter of her own, telling Judge Kaplan that granting the request from Carroll's lawyer would be "extraordinarily prejudicial" for Trump and would violate his rights. Both letters were dated in August and were not available publicly until the court filed them on Tuesday, per the Times.
Carroll wrote about her allegations against Trump in a 2019 book and an article published in New York magazine. She initially filed her defamation lawsuit in state court, but the Justice Department removed the case and moved it to federal court at the request of the White House.