E. Jean Carroll defamation case: Judge denies Trump's motion for mistrial

E. Jean Carroll is looking for a "windfall" over a series of "mean Tweets from Twitter trolls," Trump attorney Alina Habba said during the defense's opening statement, in which Habba sought to cast doubt on the severity of the alleged harm Carroll said she endured.

Habba told the jury they do not have to believe Carroll's account of how she has suffered as a result of Trump's defamatory statements.

"Her career has prospered and she has been thrust back into the limelight like she has always wanted," Habba said, accusing Carroll of using her story "to obtain as much fame and notoriety as possible."

The defense framed Carroll's lawsuit as nothing more than an attempt to shake down Trump for money over scores of critical Tweets that have nothing to do with the defamatory statements by Trump that are at issue in the trial.

"She expects you as the jury to give her an award for every negative comment that was thrown her way," Habba said. "She is looking for you to give her a windfall because some people on social media said mean things about her."

Habba showed a photo of Carroll in the company of Trump critic Kathy Griffin and said Carroll is close with another critic of the former president, his niece Mary Trump.

"This is someone who craves fame and seeks fame wherever she can get it," Habba said. "She got what she wanted."

The proceedings were dismissed for the day after both sides concluded their opening statements. The trial will resume Wednesday with the first witness in the case.

Donald Trump's lies about E. Jean Carroll "unleashed his followers to go after her," and as Trump campaigns for president he "continues to lie about Ms. Carroll," Carroll's attorney said in her opening statement.

"How much money will it take to make him stop?" Carroll's attorney, Shawn Crowley, said. "He kept up those very same lies even after a federal jury sat in this courtroom and unanimously found that he sexually assaulted her and defamed her."

Crowley reminded the jury that Trump "was president when he made those statements and he used the world's biggest microphone to humiliate her" -- the result of which was that he "wrecked" Carroll's reputation in a matter of days, Crowley said.

"Donald Trump's response was swift and brutal," Crowley said. "Donald Trump did not just deny the assault. He went much, much further."

She quoted Trump's statements from June 22, 2019: "'People should pay dearly for making up accusations" about him.

Crowley also quoted Trump saying "she's not my type" on that day in 2019. "In other words, she was too ugly to assault. She must have been lying because she was too unattractive for Mr. Trump to sexually assault," Crowley said.

Carroll, who is now 80, sat at the plaintiff's table as her attorney showed the jury messages Trump's followers posted calling her ugly and urging her to kill herself.

"When Donald Trump called Ms. Carroll a fraud and a liar, they listened and they believed and they decided to go after her," Crowley said. "Donald Trump knew exactly what he was unleashing."

Judge Lewis Kaplan told the nine jurors that they must accept as true that Trump forcibly sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll and defamed her when he denied it.

"Ms. Carroll did not make up her claim of forcible sexual abuse," Judge Kaplan told the panel. "His false statements tended to disparage Ms. Carroll or tended to expose her to hatred or to induce an unsavory opinion of her."

The judge made it clear the jury was only determining damages related to two defamatory statements Trump made in June 2019 when he denied Carroll's rape allegation. He said the trial was not an opportunity to re-litigate the prior trial, in which a jury found Trump liable for defamation and sexual assault.

"This trial is not a do-over of the previous trial which determined those facts," Kaplan said.

Former President Trump has departed Manhattan federal court prior to the delivery of opening statements in his defamation damages trial.

Trump voluntarily showed up to court for jury selection this morning, and did not return after the lunch break. He has a campaign event scheduled later today in New Hampshire.

His attorney suggested Trump would return to court for at least part of tomorrow's proceedings, when E. Jean Carroll is expected to be the first witness.

The jury has been sworn in, with opening statements to begin following instructions from the judge.