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Judge Refuses to Dismiss Carroll Case Over Claim He’s Persecuted ‘White Christian’

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


The New York judge overseeing the alleged sexual assault case has rejected an odd motion from an ally of former President Donald Trump.

Judge Lewis Kaplan refused to dismiss the case on the grounds that Trump is being persecuted because he’s white and he’s a Christian, Raw Story reported. According to court documents filed on Thursday, Kaplan made the decision to dismiss the requests by James H. Brady, a close associate of Trump, who has gained a reputation as a persistent litigant.

The New York Post characterizes him as “a gadfly who clogs courts with ‘vexatious’ claims.” The Post notes further that Brady “has filed so many repetitive lawsuits he’s been ordered to stop and sanctioned in both state and federal courts…”

In his filing before Kaplan, Brady wrote, “I am making this motion to intervene in the case of Carroll v. Trump, 20-cv-7311 because I am unwilling to sit silent and watch another white Christian be treated as poorly and unfairly as I personally have been treated in the New York State and Federal Courts.”

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Less than 24 hours later, Kaplan responded.

“There are only two legal bases on which one may intervene in a civil action. The first is intervention as of right, which is available only to one who ‘is given an unconditional right to intervene by a federal statute’ or ‘claims an interest relating to the property or transaction that is the subject of the action and is so situated that disposing of the action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant’s ability to protect its interest, unless the existing parties adequately represent that interest,'” Kaplan wrote.

He added that the second basis is “by permission of the court, which in an appropriate case may be granted if the putative intervenor ‘is given a conditional right by a federal statute’ or ‘has a claim or defense that shares with the main action a common question of law or fact.’ Mr. Brady does not satisfy any of these criteria. Accordingly, this motion is denied.”

Last month, a Manhattan jury reached a verdict in the case after Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.

The jury ruled that “Trump more likely than not sexually abused E. Jean Carroll” and determined that Trump defamed Carroll.

The jury considered whether to hold Trump liable for battering Carroll and for defaming her and, if so, whether she deserves to be paid damages.

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“Carroll was able to sue for battery under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, passed last year to allow people who have sexually abused a one-time chance to file civil suits despite any relevant statutes of limitations,” HuffPost reported.

“She also accused Trump of defamation, as the former president has repeatedly responded to her claims with an array of personal insults. Trump has said Carroll was a liar and called her claim a ‘hoax,’ which could not be true because Carroll was not his ‘type.’ He also suggested she was too old at the time of the alleged incident to compel his sexual interest, although they would have been nearly the same age,” the outlet added.

Late in the month, Trump announced he was planning new legal action following a jury’s findings.

Trump said he plans to appeal the civil case, adding that he has “absolutely no idea” who she is while ripping the federal verdict as a “disgrace” and “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history.”

Test your skills with this Quiz!

The federal jury in New York City ruled that Trump is liable for sexual abuse and defamation charges, but not for rape. Trump has been ordered to pay $5 million.

Trump said he has “absolutely no idea who this woman is.”

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