Judge Grants Author E. Jean Carroll’s Motion to Amend Defamation Lawsuit Against Former President Donald Trump, Seeking at Least $10 Million in Damages.

A federal judge has granted author E. Jean Carroll’s motion to amend her defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, allowing her to seek at least $10 million in damages. The lawsuit stems from allegations that Trump raped Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

The amended complaint is based in part on comments Trump made at a CNN town hall event on May 10, one day after a federal jury in New York found him liable for battery and defamation in a separate civil trial. At the town hall, Trump called Carroll a “whack job” and said he had “never seen this woman.” He also called her claims “fake” and “made up.”

Carroll’s lawyers argued that Trump’s comments at the town hall were defamatory and should be included in the amended complaint. The judge agreed, allowing Carroll to seek additional damages for Trump’s statements.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal battles between Carroll and Trump. In November 2019, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump after he denied the rape allegations and accused her of lying. In February 2021, a federal jury found Trump liable for battery and defamation in the case, awarding Carroll $2 million in damages.

The amended complaint seeks to increase the damages to at least $10 million. The case is ongoing, and a date for the next hearing has not yet been set.