E. Jean Carroll's Rape and Defamation Case Against Donald Trump Goes to Trial in N.Y.C. Tuesday: What to Know

Donald Trump faces another court case this week, this one hinging on allegations from former Elle advice columnist and TV host E. Jean Carroll, who has accused the former president of rape and defamation.

Carroll, 79, filed suit against the now 76-year-old former president in New York, alleging battery and defamation under the state's Adult Survivors Act, which creates a one-year lookback window for survivors of sexual abuse to file claims otherwise barred by the statute of limitations.

The journalist's case is now going to trial, with jury selection beginning in Manhattan on Tuesday. Carroll arrived at the courthouse Tuesday morning to the sound of supporters chanting "We believe E. Jean Carroll."

E. Jean Carroll's Assault Allegations

In her suit — filed on Thanksgiving Day 2022 in the U.S. Southern District of New York — the writer alleges: "Roughly 27 years ago, playful banter at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in New York City took a dark turn when Defendant Donald J. Trump seized Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her."

The suit further alleges that Carroll "remained silent for over two decades" for fear of being buried in "threats and lawsuits" and damage to her reputation and livelihood.

The suit claims that the incident "severely injured Carroll, causing significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological harms, loss of dignity, and invasion of her privacy" and seeks "redress for her injuries and to demonstrate that even a man as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the law."

If Carroll wins the trial, it will be the first time Trump — who has been accused of sexual assault by several women — is held legally responsible for sexual misconduct.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan says the writer "intends to hold Donald Trump accountable not only for defaming her, but also for sexually assaulting her, which he did years ago in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman."

What Trump Has Said About the Allegations

An attorney for Trump has told outlets including the Associated Press that the case is "an abuse" of the new law.

"While I respect and admire individuals that come forward, this case is unfortunately an abuse of the purpose of this Act which creates a terrible precedent and runs the risk of delegitimizing the credibility of actual victims," Trump attorney Alina Habba told the outlet.

Trump has adamantly denied Carroll's claims of assault, saying in a 2019 interview: "No. 1: She's not my type" and, further, that he had "never met this person in my life." (The two have been photographed together, though Trump said that was an incidental moment.)

Trump also tweeted at the time that Carroll was "totally lying" about the rape, claiming she made up the allegation in order to help sell her memoir.

Those comments ultimately spurred legal action from Carroll who sued Trump for defamation in 2019, arguing that his claims caused her "emotional pain and suffering" and damaged "her reputation, honor, and dignity" and thus her career.

That first suit remains at a standstill over disputes about whether the Department of Justice can defend the former president. This trial, however, is part of Carroll's second lawsuit, filed in November 2022 and alleging both battery and defamation.

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What to Expect From the Trial

As the case goes to trial, some of the former president's accusers are set to take the witness stand following jury selection, which began Tuesday morning.

The accusers include both Carroll herself as well as former PEOPLE writer Natasha Stoynoff, who has previously alleged that Trump assaulted her while she was at Mar-a-Lago to interview him and his wife, a then-pregnant Melania Trump, for a story.

Carroll's lawyers have said that Stoynoff and another woman who has claimed Trump assaulted her — Jessica Leeds — will act as witnesses to bolster Carroll's account. In an in-depth report released by The New York Times in 2016, Leeds — now in her 70s — charged that Trump physically violated her aboard a plane over 35 years ago.

Friends of Carroll who are said to have heard her firsthand account as well as Bergdorf Goodman staffers will also reportedly take the stand, per NPR.

Portions of Trump's own deposition in the case, which was taken privately and under oath, will likely also be made public as part of the trial.

As the trial is taking place in federal court, it will not be televised — meaning the details from the case will come via reporters in the courtroom. NPR reports that the trial is expected to last roughly a week, and that "damages could run to tens of millions of dollars" if Trump is found to be at fault.

Carroll is seeking unspecified damages and demanding that Trump issue a retraction of his earlier statements about her.

The case comes on the heels of other legal issues for Trump, who in March became the first former president in U.S. history to answer to criminal charges, when he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to plead not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree following an investigation into an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels while he was a presidential candidate in 2016.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.