A6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 , 2019
BY BETH REINHARDA writer and longtime wom-
en’s advice columnist on Monday
sued President Trump, accusing
him of defaming her this sum-
mer after she claimed he sexually
assaulted her more than two
decades ago in an upscale New
York City department store.
E. Jean Carroll publicly de-
scribed the alleged assault for
the first time in June, in a
published excerpt of a memoir.
At that time and in the new
lawsuit, she said that after run-
ning into the then-real estate
developer at Bergdorf Goodman
in late 1995 or early 1996, they
chatted and shopped together
before he attacked her in a
dressing room. She said he
knocked her head against a wall,
pulled down her tights and brief-
ly penetrated her before she
pushed him off and ran out.
Carroll is seeking unspecified
compensatory and punitive
damages.
“I am filing this on behalf of
every woman who has ever been
harassed, assaulted, silenced, or
spoken up only to be shamed,
fired, ridiculed and belittled,”
Carroll said in a statement. “No
person in this country should be
above the law — including the
president.”
Trump has denied ever meet-
ing her and has said she was
trying to promote her book.
White House press secretary
Stephanie Grisham on Monday
called the lawsuit “frivolous” and
Carroll “a fraud.”
“Let me get this straight — Ms.
Carroll is suing the President for
defending himself against false
allegations?” she said in a state-
ment. “I guess since the book did
not make any money she’s trying
to get paid another way. The
story she used to try and sell her
trash book never happened, peri-
od. Her version of events is not
even feasible if you’ve ever tried
on clothing in a dressing room of
a crowded department store.
The lawsuit is frivolous and the
story is a fraud — just like theauthor.”
One year before the 2020
election, Trump is grappling
with a number of legal challeng-
es, including the impeachment
inquiry on Capitol Hill and law-
suits targeting his businesses
and finances. Carroll filed her
lawsuit in a New York state
court, where another defama-
tion suit against Trump has
cleared some key hurdles.
In that case, Summer Zervos, a
former contestant on Trump’s
reality TV show, “The Appren-
tice,” says Trump groped her and
kissed her without permission in
2007.
Zervos was among more than
a dozen women in the weeks
before the 2016 election who
accused Trump of sexual impro-
priety, following the disclosure
of a videotape in which he boast-
ed about grabbing women’s geni-
tals. Trump called the women
who accused him of wrongdoing
“liars,” prompting Zervos’s suit.But another defamation case
against Trump did not survive.
Adult-film star Stormy Daniels
sued the president last year after
he suggested she had lied about
being threatened to keep quiet
about their alleged affair. A fed-
eral judge in Los Angeles dis-
missed the suit last October,
ruling that Trump’s “rhetorical
hyperbole” was political and or-
dering Daniels to pay the presi-
dent’s legal fees.
Carroll’s assertion in the law-
suit that he “raped her” stands
apart from less violent allega-
tions regarding Trump’s treat-
ment of women. Under New York
law, the alleged incident oc-curred too long ago to try to
press criminal charges.
Carroll, 75, tells the same story
in the lawsuit that she wrote in
the book excerpt. She said short-
ly after the incident in the de-
partment store, she confided in
two close friends, who have pub-
licly confirmed her account. She
decided not to tell anyone else
for fear of the damage to her own
reputation.
Carroll considered coming
forward before the 2016 election
but said the #MeToo movement
that took off in late 2017 finally
pushed her to tell her story. The
longtime advice columnist for
Elle magazine said she felt com-
pelled to speak publicly after
many women who said they were
victims of sexual assault or ha-
rassment turned to her for help.
Trump quickly denounced
Carroll after she told her story in
June to media outlets, including
The Washington Post.
“Shame on those who make up
false stories of assault to try to
get publicity for themselves, or
sell a book, or carry out a
political agenda,” he said at the
time. “It is a disgrace and people
should pay dearly for such false
accusations.”
Trump also said he had “never
met this person in my life.” But
the excerpt of Carroll’s book
“What do We Need Men For,”
published in New York magazine
in June, included a photo that
appears to show her with Trump
at what Carroll said was an NBC
party around 1987.
Trump said Carroll was “total-
ly lying” and “not my type” when
she made her accusation this
summer.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Ka-
plan, said she intends to prove
that Trump acted with “malice,”
meaning that he knew his state-
ments were false or showed
reckless disregard for the truth.
“I don’t know what type a
woman needs to be for him to
decide to sexually assault some-
one, but that kind of gratuitous
insult about her appearance is
the kind of the thing that juries
and judges look to,” Kaplan said
in a recent interview with The
Post. “It looks like malice.”
Carroll is a registered Demo-
crat who has said her decision to
accuse Trump had nothing to do
with politics.
[email protected]Woman sues Trump for defamation
Suit comes after writer
accused him of sexually
assaulting her years ago“I am filing this on
behalf of every woman
who has ever been
harassed, assaulted,
silenced, or spoken up
only to be shamed,
fired, ridiculed and
belittled.”
E. Jean CarrollThrive in
your Home
Senior Bathing
Solutions By HCR
They showed
up on time, explained
the process to me, did
quality work, and were
very courteous.
— Evelyn K.,
Dumfries, VA$
1500 OFFWalk-in Tub
or Shower
(limited time only)HCR Walk-In Tubs help
you live your BEST LIFE,
and choosing the right tub
is EASY, with our FREE,
No-Pressure,
No-Obligation,
In-Home
Consultation.
CALL FOR A FREE
NO OBLIGATION
IN-HOME
CONSULTATION
443.297.
HomefixCR.com
MHIC 05-381920-02 | VA 2705 036361
DC 420216000140- Heated hydrotherapy
(soothing air and water jets) - Non-slip surfaces
- E-Z grab door handle
- Ergonomic faucets, latches, and controls
- Easy to use hand shower access
- Comfort seat with cushion available
- Heated seat available
- Chromatherapy & aromatherapy available
FEATURES
INCLUDE: