E. Jean Carroll's defamation and sexual assault claims case against former President Donald Trump has been funded by billionaire LinkedIn founder and noted Trump critic Reid Hoffman, according to new court records.
Carroll alleges Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s and sued under New York's Adult Survivors Act, a novel law allowing victims to sue for civil damages beyond the statute of limitations. Trump has vehemently denied her allegations.
TRUMP LEGAL COUNSEL ASKS FOR DELAY IN E JEAN CARROLL DEFAMATION LAWSUIT
Trump's legal counsel requested a 30-day delay of the trial slated for April 25, claiming that Carroll sought to hide Hoffman's involvement in funding her litigation and that it brings her credibility into question.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed an inquiry from Trump's defense team but did not delay the trial.
Attorneys for Carroll contend Hoffman's support is not relevant to the case and that Hoffman extended his financial support nearly a year after her lawsuit was filed. Trump's attempt to delay the trial is "his latest transparent effort to keep a jury from deciding Carroll’s claims," her counsel claims.
The billionaire donor was affiliated with a group of tech entrepreneurs who made their Silicon Valley footprint in the 1990s with the start of PayPal. Such notable members also include Republican megadonor Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.
Hoffman is also a noted donor to Democratic causes including former 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. He also partnered with megadonor George Soros in 2021 to form an organization to combat disinformation.
The LinkedIn founder's distaste for Trump has been documented in several news reports. Vox reported in September 2020 that "[Hoffman's] aides privately boast that he has raised hundreds of millions more to oust Trump by guiding the donations of a class of newly politicized donors who are now bankrolling the left."
Hoffman's political funding venture against Trump has even strained his relationship with Thiel, according to Insider, which noted in March the pair speak less today than they did previously.
The case set to go to trial this month is Carroll's second lawsuit brought against Trump. She initially sued him in 2019 for defamation over his response to her original sexual assault allegation, which has been stalled in appeals.
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Carroll's counsel has attempted to combine the cases into a single trial, though those efforts were denied by a judge last month.
Trump's legal team offered to provide DNA for the case, but the offering was shut down in court as a "delay tactic" and that the offering came too late in the discovery process.