The federal judge has rejected Donald Trump's counterdefamation claim against E. Jean Carroll, delivering the former president yet another legal setback.
The jury awarded Carroll $5 million after determining that Trump sexually assaulted her and defamed her, and the judge stated in a ruling on Monday that Trump had not demonstrated that Carroll's statements to CNN the day following the verdict were untrue or "not at least substantially true," as required by law.
Based on Carroll's responses to inquiries made on CNN, Trump sued her in June. Carroll was questioned regarding the decision that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll but did not rape her as she claimed and as is required by New York law. Carroll acknowledged, "Oh, yes, he did."
The judge concluded by dismissing Trump's claim by writing.