‘Did You Not Hear Me?’ Judge Clashes With Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Right Out of Gate Thursday During E. Jean Carroll Testimony
AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey
Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba clashed with Judge Lewis Kaplan during her cross examination of E Jean Carroll.
The third day of the trial in the defamation case brought by Carroll surrounding Trump’s attacks on her started off with a tense back-and-forth between Habba and the judge. A jury has already found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store back in the 1990s.
During her cross examination of Carroll, Habba asked the author whether the verdict last year that found Trump liable for sexual abuse against Carroll gave her a “greater status” in New York media circles.
However, things went off the rails when Habba demanded to know if Carroll spoke with media outlets deemed “left-leaning platforms.” Carroll’s defense immediately objected to the question and Judge Kaplan quickly sustained their concerns but not before getting in a back and forth with Habba.
According to journalist Matthew Russell Lee on X:
HABBA: And you’ve been on left leaning platforms?
CARROLL’S LAWYER: Objection
KAPLAN: Sustained.
HABBA: They are left leaning?
KAPLAN: Did you not hear me?
HABBA: You went on TV?
CARROLL: To say we’d won this milestone case.
Yesterday, sparks flew during the trial after Judge Kaplan had to warn the former president to not have verbal outbursts during Carroll’s emotional testimony.
“Mr. Trump has a right to be present here. That right can be forfeited if he is disruptive and if he disregards court orders,” Kaplan told Trump’s defense lawyers yesterday.
Kaplan added that Trump could be barred from attending future trial dates to which Trump responded, “I would love it.”
“You just can’t control yourself,” the judge said to which Trump reportedly snapped back, “You can’t either.”
Kaplan previously found Trump’s 2019 comments calling Carroll a liar defamatory, so the trial is focused only on what damages Carroll will receive from Trump. She was previously granted $5 million in a separate defamation case last year where Trump was found liable for sexual abuse.
