Summary
Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events at E Jean Carroll’s defamation trial against Donald Trump:
Trump’s lead attorney Alina Habba tried to cast doubt on the threats E Jean Carroll faced as a result of Trump’s public remarks about her. Citing derogatory tweets directed towards Carroll, Habba asked whether Carroll agrees that the tweets are “not necessarily tied” to Trump’s statements. Carroll said: “Some of the tweets are definitely tied to the president’s statement.”
Cross-examination also took a turn for the absurd when Habba pointed to a 2013 tweet in which Carroll referred to penile functions. “You left that on your Twitter account as we stand here today, correct” asked Habba, to which Carroll answered in the affirmative.
Habba also appeared to suggest that Carroll had not suffered as a result of Trump’s comments, pointing to TV appearances as an example. “So, your reputation in many ways is better today isn’t it Ms Carroll?” said Habba. “No, my status was lowered. I’m partaking in this trial to bring my old reputation and status back,” replied Carroll.
Ashlee Humphreys, a Northwestern University marketing professor, also took to the witness stand today. She said that to restore Carroll’s reputation by putting out corrective messaging in relation to Donald Trump’s 2019 statements, Humphreys estimated, it could cost from $7.2m to $12.1m.
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On cross-examination, Trump’s attorney Michael T Madaio suggested that the ex-president was not responsible for backlash against Carroll – because supporters were likely to believe him, and his denials, anyway. “Do you think that those same people would have been unlikely to believe Ms Carroll’s initial allegation?… You agree that people have confirmation bias, right?” he said. “I believe that confirmation bias can occur in many contexts, yes,” said Humphreys.
– Maya Yang
Updated
Meanwhile, the defamation trial has concluded for the day.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has not spoken about plans for Monday.
