Former President Donald Trump was once again forced to interrupt his current White House bid last week to appear in court, this time for a defamation lawsuit filed by his accuser, E. Jean Carroll.
A jury handed down a verdict granting $18.3 million in compensatory damages and another $65 million in punitive damages, but Trump attorney Alina Habba was quick to insist that the legal team “will immediately appeal” and “set aside that ridiculous jury.”
In a public statement following the decision on Friday, she railed against the “unfair” closed-door proceedings and reiterated her insistence that Trump was not guilty of the allegations against him.
“I am so proud to stand with President Trump,” she said in reference to a question regarding whether she had second thoughts about taking the case. “But I am not proud to stand with what I saw in that courtroom.”
Her remarks to reporters on the steps of the courthouse hinged on the mistreatment she asserted that her client received.
“Before I walked into court, that judge decided that every single defense that President Trump had, we were not allowed to raise in front of the jury,” Habba said. “It is in writing and I encourage the real journalists to take the minute to look at his orders.”
As for the claims Carroll brought forward, she said: “There was no proof and I couldn’t prove that she didn’t bring in the dress. There was no DNA; there were no experts. My experts were denied — two of them were denied to come in. They didn’t let me bring up that [LinkedIn co-founder] Reid Hoffman funded [Carroll’s attorney].”
In the face of the alleged “violation of our justice system,” Habba described her defense of the former president as a source of pride.
“You are not allowed to be stripped of every defense that you have,” she declared. “I am proud to stand with President Trump because he showed up. He stood up, he took the stand and he faced this judge. And you know what? I’ll continue to do so with him.”
She claimed Trump raped her, she had zero proof, he said he didn't, and now he's guilty of defamation
Are you paying attention yet?
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 26, 2024
Trump echoed his attorney’s sentiment in a social media statement.
“Absolutely ridiculous!” he wrote. “I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party. Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon.”
