The New York federal trial to decide how much Donald Trump could owe E. Jean Carroll for denying that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room was postponed Monday because of a sick juror — and the ex-president’s lawyer being exposed to COVID.
Minutes after Trump arrived in the lower Manhattan courthouse — where he’d been expected to testify later in the day — US District Judge Lewis Kaplan sent all of the parties in the case home.
The juror in “seat No. 3” reported on his way to court that he was feeling hot and nauseous, and was advised to stay away and test himself for COVID, the judge said.
Trump’s personal attorney, Alina Habba, also reported having a fever within the “past 24 hours” and having dinner with her parents — who recently tested positive for COVID — in the past few days.
Habba said she tested negative for the coronavirus Monday morning. She was not wearing a mask as she stood in court next to Trump, 77, who wore a dark blue suit, light blue tie and white shirt during the brief proceeding.
It was not immediately clear Monday when the defamation damages trial would resume.
Trump won’t be in court on Tuesday because he needs to be in New Hampshire for the 2024 GOP presidential primary, Habba said.
She asked the judge to delay the case until Wednesday, in a request opposed by Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan — no relation to the judge — who said, “We would like to get this trial over with.”
The judge said he would rule on the request later, since the COVID issue may result in further delays anyway.
“Circumstances may result in you getting what you asked for, and maybe not,” he told Habba.
Lawyers for the “Ask E. Jean” advice columnist are slated to wrap up their case soon after the trial continues.
The real estate tycoon could then testify as part of his defense case — though Judge Kaplan has ruled that he won’t be allowed to deny sexually assaulting Carroll in front of jurors.
The former president was already ordered at a previous trial to pay Carroll $5 million after a separate New York jury found him liable for sexually abusing her in the department store in 1996, and then defaming her by writing online in 2022 that her claims were a “complete con job.”
Kaplan, who presided over the first trial as well, has already ruled in the current case that Trump repeatedly defamed Carroll in 2019.
The nine-person jury is now just tasked with deciding how much he should pay her for it. Her camp is seeking more than $10 million in damages.
Monday marked the third day the former president has attended the case taking place in Manhattan federal court.
He was absent on Thursday to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.