A New York writer who claims former President Donald Trump raped her in the 1990s urged a judge to uphold a new law allowing victims to sue over alleged sexual abuse that occurred decades earlier.
(Bloomberg) — A New York writer who claims former President Donald Trump raped her in the 1990s urged a judge to uphold a new law allowing victims to sue over alleged sexual abuse that occurred decades earlier.
E. Jean Carroll sued Trump for battery under New York’s Adult Survivors Act on Nov. 24 — the day the law took effect. The former president last month moved to dismiss the case, arguing the law is a “clear abuse of legislative power” that violates the due process rights in New York’s constitution.
In a response filed Wednesday, Carroll fired back calling the controversial statute “a reasonable measure” passed by state lawmakers “to remedy an identifiable injustice.” The law, passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement, lifted the statute of limitations on sexual abuse civil claims for one year.
“Trump’s assertion that the ASA is unconstitutional because adult victims of sexual assault have only themselves to blame for not coming forward sooner is offensive and wrong,” Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan said in the filing.
Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Carroll in 2019 went public with her claim that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, prompting a crude denial from the then-president, who claimed she fabricated the attack to sell a book. She sued Trump for defamation — a separate case that is set to go to trial in April.
Read More: Trump Calls NY Sex-Abuse Law Unconstitutional in Rape Suit
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