Alina Habba Appears to Have Been Replaced
Donald Trump has suggested he may choose a new lawyer to represent him when he appeals his damages verdict in a case brought against him by E. Jean Carroll.
On Friday, a New York City jury ordered that the former president must pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll for statements made in 2019. He said she was lying about allegations he sexually assaulted her inside a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s. That amount includes $7.3 million in compensatory damages, $11 million for reputational repair, and $65 million in punitive damages.
Trump was previously ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages last year in another civil defamation trial stemming from a denial he made about her claims in 2022. He has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal the verdict.
The Republican was represented by the lawyer Alina Habba, who came under sustained criticism for her courtroom performance during the trial.
When Judge Lewis Kaplan files his written judgment, the trial will officially be over and Trump will be able to appeal the verdict, which his lawyers have promised to do.
Writing on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, the former president said he was interviewing different law firms to represent him in the appeal.
"I am in the process, along with my team, of interviewing various law firms to represent me in an Appeal of one of the most ridiculous and unfair Witch Hunts our Country has ever seen—The defamation Sham presided over by a Clinton appointed, highly partisan, Trump Hating Judge, Lewis Kaplan, who was, together with certain other Radical Left Democrat Judges, one of the most partisan and out of control activists that I have ever appeared before. He was a "bully" who demanded two trials, rather than one, denied me Due Process, would not allow me to put forth vital evidence (of which there was much!), and only allowed me to be on the witness stand for minutes, telling my lawyer what to ask, and telling me to only give one word answers, as his wife and friends sat in cordoned off front row seats watching with glee. This entire HOAX is a disgrace to our American System of Justice. Any lawyer who takes a TRUMP CASE is either "CRAZY," or a TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT. I will make my decision soon!," he wrote.
Newsweek contacted representatives for Trump and Habba by email to comment on this story.
It's not uncommon for a client to hire a new attorney to handle an appeal. Online legal information site FindLaw says: "If you've already been through a trial with your defense attorney, chances are you've developed a good relationship and want them to handle the next phase of your case. However, that may not be the right option for either you or your attorney. The truth is, getting a different lawyer for an appeal is the smart way to go. The process and skills required are different than those pertaining to trial-level proceedings."
Trump's comments do not mean Habba has definitely been replaced. Trump has, in the past, moved his lawyers to different cases. However, her trial conduct was criticized by commentators.
In one instance, she appeared to make a mistake when referring to documents that had not been put into evidence. Kaplan ordered a recess in proceedings so that she might "refresh" her memory on how to.
She also had a tense exchange with Kaplan when she asked for an adjournment of the trial so that Trump could attend his mother-in-law's funeral. Kaplan had previously denied that request.
On Monday, Carroll mocked Habba's "ludicrous confidence"during an interview on CNN.
"Alina Habba is gloriously talented. She's very skilled. She has ludicrous confidence, and when you hear her speak, we understand most of what she just said was entirely made up. Entirely untrue," Carroll told the network.
Meanwhile, Carroll would "absolutely" sue Donald Trump again if he continues to post about her online, she told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
Update 1/31/24, 5:45 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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