Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba sparred with Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing Trump’s second E. Jean Carroll defamation trial to determine how much money in damages the former president must pay Carroll for defaming her.
Kaplan had previously denied Trump’s request to delay the start of the trial by a week so Trump could attend the funeral of his mother-in-law on Thursday. But, in court Tuesday Habba requested a delay once again which led to a stern rebuke from the judge, according to CNN.
“When the ruling is made that is the end not the beginning of argument,” Kaplan said.
Habba asked Kaplan to grant an adjournment for one day, Thursday, so Trump can attend his mother-in-law’s funeral and not miss a day of his trial.
“I am asking you, sir, now for a one-day adjournment of this trial to allow my clients to be there so that he can be present for every day of this trial as he has a right to be,” Habba said.
“I am not stopping him from being there,” Kaplan said.
“No, you’re stopping him from being here, Your Honor,” Habba responded.
“The argument is over,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan added that the only accommodation he would make was already communicated in an order over the weekend, where he said Trump can testify on Monday, even if the trial is over by Thursday.
Carroll, a former magazine columnist, is accusing Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when he denied her claim.
Last May, a jury found Trump liable of sexually abusing Carroll and he was ordered to pay $5 million.
Kaplan ruled last year that the new trial will only be limited to damages because the prior jury’s findings about sexual abuse and defamation can be carried over to this trial. Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages.
