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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
The return to the stone age in house buildingUnder the Radar With brick building becoming ‘increasingly unsustainable’, could a reversion to stone be the future?
-
Rob Jetten: the centrist millennial set to be the Netherlands’ next prime ministerIn the Spotlight Jetten will also be the country’s first gay leader
-
Codeword: November 4, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Trump to partly fund SNAP as shutdown talks progressSpeed Read The administration has said it will cover about 50% of benefits
-
Trump’s White House ballroom: a threat to the republic?Talking Point Trump be far from the first US president to leave his mark on the Executive Mansion, but to critics his remodel is yet more overreach
-
‘Not every social scourge is an act of war’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Pentagon unable to name boat strike casualtiesSpeed Read The Pentagon has so far acknowledged 14 strikes
-
41 political cartoons for October 2025Cartoons Editorial cartoonists take on Donald Trump, ICE, Stephen Miller, the government shutdown, a peace plan in the Middle East, Jeffrey Epstein, and more.
-
Trump limits refugees mostly to white South AfricansSpeed Read The administration is capping the number of refugees at 7,500
-
Judge rules US attorney ‘unlawfully serving’Speed Read Bill Essayli had been serving in the role without Senate confirmation
-
Trump ends Asia trip with Xi meeting, nuke threatSpeed Read Trump had spent the last six days in Asia
