In a significant development, a federal judge in New York has decided that the upcoming civil defamation trial involving former President Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll will be conducted with an anonymous jury. This decision stems from Trump's "repeated public statements" about the case and the court.
The trial, which is scheduled to begin in January, will keep the identities of the jurors confidential and implement additional security measures.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's order mandates that the jurors' names remain undisclosed. Moreover, they will be kept together during breaks and assigned a member from the U.S. Marshal Service who will accompany them to lunch as a group throughout the trial. The jurors will also be transported together or in groups to an undisclosed location before they can return home.
The lawsuit itself originated from E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, who sued Trump in November 2019. She took legal action after Trump publicly discredited her following accusation that he had raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room during the 1990s. Trump's response was to claim that Carroll was "not his type" and insinuate that she had fabricated the accusation for ulterior and improper motives, including boosting sales of her forthcoming book.
It's important to note that the judge in the case has already determined that Trump's statements were defamatory. As a result, the trial scheduled for January will primarily focus on determining the damages owed to Carroll, who is seeking $10 million in compensation. Carroll achieved success in a separate lawsuit in May, which alleged defamation and battery, and she was awarded $5 million in damages. Trump is currently appealing that case.
This decision by Judge Kaplan coincided with other significant developments in legal matters involving Trump. On the same day, the judge in the New York civil fraud trial expanded the gag order, and the judge in the federal election tampering case temporarily halted proceedings pending an appeal.
