Trump cannot countersue rape accuser over defamation lawsuit, judge in New York rules

Donald Trump cannot countersue E. Jean Carroll, a 78-year-old writer who claims he raped her in the mid-1990s, on the ground that her slander lawsuit against him violated a New York state law intended to protect free speech, a federal judge ruled today.

Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York City said letting Trump sue Carroll under New York’s anti-SLAPP law would cause unnecessary delays for Carroll’s lawsuit, which was filed in November 2019.

“The defendant’s litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less,” Kaplan wrote.

Allowing Trump to countersue “would make a regrettable situation worse,” he said.