Former President Donald Trump's legal team is claiming a potential conflict of interest that they believe will aid in their appeal of the $83 million defamation ruling against him in the E. Jean Carroll case. Alina Haba, Trump's attorney, recently revealed that she had no prior knowledge of the professional relationship between Judge Louis Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan, who is representing E. Jean Carroll in this lawsuit. The pair apparently worked together at the same law firm in the early 1990s. While waiting for a response from Roberta Kaplan, a representative spoke on her behalf, stating that the overlap between the two was brief and that they never had a working relationship.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Trump's legal team sees this connection as a potential ethics violation and plans to utilize this information in their appeal. They view the overlapping professional history of Judge Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan as an 'insane' conflict of interest. Last week, a jury awarded E. Jean Carroll over $80 million in damages in her second defamation trial against Trump. The jury concluded that Trump had acted with malice when he denied Carroll's sexual assault allegations during his presidency in 2019. Trump maintains his denial of the allegations, as he did throughout the trial.
This recent ruling follows a previous case in which Trump was found liable for sexual assault and defamation, resulting in Carroll being awarded $5 million. With the combined verdicts, she has now been granted nearly $90 million. However, legal experts suggest that the appeals process may prolong the resolution of these cases for years, potentially delaying any financial compensation for Carroll.
Insiders believe that Trump's familiarity with the legal system, honed through various legal battles throughout his life, will allow him to extend the legal proceedings and postpone any potential pay-outs. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Carroll expressed her intention to use the money received from the defamation cases for a 'good' cause. She also acknowledged the likelihood of facing challenges in determining how to best utilize the funds.
As the legal teams prepare for the appeals process, the future resolution of the E. Jean Carroll defamation cases remains uncertain. It is anticipated that the conflict of interest raised by Trump's legal team will be a significant factor in the appeal, potentially influencing the ultimate outcome of the proceedings.
