Donald Trump's lawyers filed a motion to delay his case involving E. Jean Carroll and what he will owe her for the first defamation trial.
When the jury found in favor of Carroll earlier in 2023, it was her second lawsuit against Trump. The jury in that case ruled in her favor that he "sexually abused" her and awarded $5 million.
The first case involves what Trump said about her in 2019 and Trump's argument is that it was while he was serving as president of the United States. He believes that as president he enjoys absolute immunity.
Thus far, Trump has been denied the immunity claim in federal court and the last to decide will be the Supreme Court. While they are awaiting the Supreme Court's decision, Trump's new filing demands that the trial be delayed.
The reason the second and third trials couldn't be delayed is that the attacks Trump made against Carroll came after he was out of office.
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The first case won't decide whether or not Trump defamed Carroll; it was already decided by the 2023 jury. All that is left in the upcoming case is to decide the amount, which legal analysts think will be considerably more for the second offense than it was for the first.
Carroll's lawyer told MSNBC that they are considering whether to go after Trump for a fourth offense. She acknowledged that there is little case law because so few people defame someone a fourth time.
"What is absurd about this legal move is that Trump's upcoming trial is ONLY on DAMAGES," MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang said. "And a jury has already found that his defamation of E. Jean Carroll was OUTSIDE of the scope of his office. So, the chances of him getting a stay from the 2nd Circuit is super, super slim."
