Trump asked the judge in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, which is set to begin this week, to postpone his trial because he needed to travel to attend his mother-in-law's funeral. Just one problem with that. Apparently he's got a campaign event scheduled that same day:
According to court documents reviewed by Business Insider, lawyers for Trump requested Friday that Judge Lewis Kaplan postpone the trial date for E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit because of the sudden death of Amalija Knavs, the mother of his wife Melania Trump, last week. The trial was set to begin this Wednesday.
According to his attorney, Alina Habba, Trump could not attend the trial in New York on Wednesday and Thursday because he would be traveling to Florida to attend the funeral. Per the letter, Trump's team asked that the trial be postponed until the following week.
Kaplan denied the request later on Friday, saying that while the court "offers its condolences" to the Trump family, the trial would continue as scheduled. Trump is not required to be at the trial, as Kaplan pointed out, but the former President had expressed interest in attending.
"Mr. Trump is free to attend the trial, the funeral, or all parts or both, as he wishes," Kaplan wrote.
However, a letter sent by lawyers for Carroll on Saturday pointed out that may not have been the whole story. While Trump told the judge he would be "traveling to be with his family," Carroll's lawyers pointed out that Trump had a campaign rally scheduled in New Hampshire the same day.
Carroll's lawyers are also trying to prevent Trump from turning the trial "into a circus" as we've seen him do already in his civil fraud trial:
E. Jean Carroll wants a New York federal court to consider measures that will prevent former President Donald Trump from turning their upcoming trial "into a circus" after his explosive closing remarks in a fraud case on Thursday.
Lawyers for Carroll pointed to Trump's remarks in a Friday court filing. [...]
"It takes little imagination to think that Mr. Trump is gearing up for a similar performance here—only this time, in front of a jury," Carroll's team said in the Friday letter to the court.
Carroll and Trump are set for trial Tuesday to determine the damages Trump could face for defaming Carroll in 2019 when he denied sexually abusing her. Judge Lewis Kaplan already ruled Trump may not testify that he didn't sexually abuse her after a jury determined in a separate civil proceeding in May that he was liable for sexually abusing her and for defaming her through a separate statement.
Carroll wants Kaplan to consider a series of preventative measures, including requiring Trump to state under oath, outside of the jury's presence, that he will abide by the court's limits.
The best thing Trump could do for himself would be to stay away from the trial completely, but we all know his ego won't allow it.
His TV lawyer Alina Habba responded to Carroll's lawyer's proposal.
