A Manhattan jury will hear arguments this week on how much in damages former President Donald Trump should pay a writer who accused him of rape.

Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll is seeking $10m (£7.9m) in damages for comments Mr Trump made in 2019 about her and the allegations.

Last year, a New York jury found he sexually assaulted and defamed Ms Carroll and awarded her $5m.

Mr Trump denies any wrongdoing and is appealing that verdict.

He arrived at the courthouse on Tuesday morning to attend jury selection at the start of the case.

His arrival was just hours after delivering a victory speech in Iowa after a resounding win in the first Republican contest for the presidential nomination.

This civil trial relates to Mr Trump's denials from when Ms Carroll first accused him of rape in a New York magazine piece just over three years ago.

At the time, Mr Trump said her story was "totally false". He also alleged that he had never heard of Ms Carroll and that she had invented the story to sell her memoir.

This case is separate from a civil trial in May, where a New York jury found the former president sexually abused Ms Carroll, though he was found not liable for raping her in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s.

That jury also found Mr Trump liable for defamation for calling the magazine writer's accusations "a hoax and a lie".

In September, Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that this second civil defamation trial against Mr Trump will be limited to determining damages.

Judge Kaplan issued a stern warning to the former president last week about any remarks in court.

He is "precluded from offering any testimony, evidence or argument suggesting or implying that he did not sexually assault Ms Carroll, that she fabricated her account of the assault or that she had any motive to do so" .

Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan (who is not related to Judge Kaplan), has said that Mr Trump will attempt to "sow chaos" with his testimony. She has asked that he state under oath that he understands the limits of what he can say.

"There are any number of reasons why Mr Trump might perceive a personal or political benefit from intentionally turning this trial into a circus," she wrote in a memo to Judge Kaplan.

In response, Mr Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said the former president is "well aware" of the court's ruling and "the strict confines placed on his testimony".

The former president is also facing state and federal charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, as well as his handling of classified documents.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Nadine Yousif | BBC News

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]