Trump Civil Trial: Second Accuser Testifies Against Ex-President’s Sexual Assault

(Photo : Robert Perry/Getty Images)
TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND - MAY 02: Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a round of golf at his Turnberry course on May 2, 2023 in Turnberry, Scotland. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is visiting his golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. Back in the United States, he faces legal action on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

E. Jean Carroll's friend testified against former President Donald Trump
Donald Trump will not testify in his defense
Trump has denied all charges that he raped or defamed Carroll

A friend of former columnist E. Jean Carroll testified in the defamation trial against former President Donald Trump, claiming Carroll was "hyperventilating" when she claimed to have been violated by Trump.

The testimony of Lisa Birnbach, 66, an author and journalist, followed two days of cross-examination by Trump attorney Joseph Tacopina, attempting to persuade a nine-person jury that his client did not sexually assault Carroll in the mid-1990s.

E. Jean Carroll Civil Rape Trial

The longstanding friend recalled how Carroll sounded "breathless, hyperventilating, and emotional" when she called her shortly after Trump allegedly assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room.

According to Washington Examiner, Carroll claims she cannot recall the exact date of the alleged incident, but Birnbach stated on Tuesday that she believes she first heard Carroll's story in the spring of 1996.

Carroll told her friend over the phone how she encountered the real estate magnate on her way to the upscale department store before he persuaded her to assist him in purchasing a gift.

Birnbach testified that she initially thought it was "kind of crazy" when Carroll consented to accompany Trump to the lingerie section. She argued that she did not believe it to be "hazardous" because Birnbach had recently interviewed Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in January 1996 for a story that ran on February 12.

Witnesses favorable to Carroll dominated the fifth day of trial in the defamation suit she filed against Trump, alleging that he lied about the attack and slandered her character. Trump's counsel, Joseph Tacopina, verified to US District Judge Lewis Kaplan that his client will not testify in the upcoming trial, which is expected to conclude within the week.

The jury also heard from Jessica Leeds, a woman who claimed that Trump inappropriately touched her during a 1979 flight from Texas to New York. Trump has repeatedly denied Leeds and Carroll's allegations.

As per USA Today, Leslie Lebowitz, a psychologist, was also contacted by Carroll's counsel to address Carroll's emotional state. Former Bergdorf Goodman executive Robert Salerno testified that he does not believe there were surveillance cameras on the floor where Carroll claimed the assault occurred.

Trump Won't Testify in Civil Battery Case

Trump is not anticipated to testify at the trial; on Tuesday, he was not even in the country. The former president is visiting golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. Carroll's attorneys intend to summon additional witnesses to bolster their case in the coming days. They informed the magistrate that they intended to wrap up their case on Thursday at noon.

Per NY Post, Donald Trump will not be present at the ongoing trial in E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit accusing him of rape and defamation.

Judge Lewis Kaplan questioned Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina as to whether his client would appear for any of the proceedings following the jury's dismissal Tuesday afternoon. Trump, 76, has not appeared in court since the trial began on Tuesday, and his presence is optional.

While jurors will not hear live testimony from the former commander-in-chief, Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan informed the judge that excerpts from Trump's video deposition would be played for the jury.

The attorneys estimated that trial testimony could conclude as early as Thursday, meaning deliberations would likely begin before the following week. In November of that year, she filed a lawsuit against Trump for allegedly defaming her after he denied the claims, stated he didn't know her and called her accusations a "hoax."

In November last year, Carroll filed a second lawsuit over the alleged assault and for additional defamation claims. In the second lawsuit, a jury is deciding the claims. Carroll was a witness for three days during emotional testimony, including when she stated that she could "still feel the agony" from the alleged assault.