Trump appears nervous about upcoming E. Jean Carroll case — here's why

Donald Trump seems to be running scared when it comes to his E. Jean Carroll case in New York.

The Daily Beast revealed Tuesday that Trump's lawyers are trying to stop an expert witness testifying at the trial. Ironically, it's the same expert who outlined the calculations necessary to understand the damages owed by Rudy Giuliani to Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman.

Carroll has already won the second of three liable cases against Trump. The first case has been held up in appeals courts. The second, however, went to trial, where a jury found that Trump "sexually abused" Carroll and defamed her. In that case, she was awarded $5 million. The first case, however, still must be decided and the expectation is that it will be significantly larger, according to some experts.

The next case goes to trial in January.

Trump’s lawyers filed a motion begging Judge Lewis Kaplan to keep professor Ashlee Humphreys, from Northwestern University, from testifying against Trump. The marketing professor follows social media trends and was able to calculate the amount Freeman and Moss would need to rebuild their reputation after having Giuliani and others spread lies about them.

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Last week, Trump lawyer Michael Madaio claimed that previous estimations from Humphreys were too high. In the Giuliani case, she cited $48 million. The jury took her number and amplified it, instead giving the women $148 million.

“The damages estimations in her initial report are egregiously inflated (to the tune of millions of dollars), utilize methods which ascribe harm in an unreliable and incorrect manner; and do not accurately reflect the actual harm to plaintiff’s reputation,” Madaio complained.

The argument cites three different incidents in which Trump attacked Carroll and she is suing over. The initial estimations Humphreys has calculated have not been "adjusted" to Madaio's satisfaction.

On Monday, Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan wrote, “Trump is understandably desperate to get rid of Professor Humphreys. That Professor Humphreys recently testified in another case that resulted in a $108 million defamation verdict likely adds to Trump’s sense of urgency.”

Kaplan was referring to the defamation case against Giuliani. The former Trump lawyer was found liable in August for defaming Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. On Friday, Giuliani was ordered to pay the women a whopping $148 million in damages.

The same day that Humphreys testified in the Giuliani trial was also the same day Trump's lawyer protested her being the expert witness.

But Humphreys already testified once in the previous Carroll trial without complaint. Upon her recommendation, Carroll is seeking $12 million in damages.

After losing the case Trump went on the CNN Town Hall and attacked Carroll a fourth time. Carroll's lawyer told MSNBC that his cruelty will result in losing his wealth. She said at the time that they were looking into a fourth complaint but that there isn't a lot of case law because so few people defame someone after they've lost a suit.

One legal expert has already warned that the jury instructions will be a disaster for Trump.