In a significant legal development, a United States judge has dismissed former President Donald Trump's defamation counterclaim against writer E. Jean Carroll. This comes after a civil trial earlier this year found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, but stopped short of finding him liable for rape. The trial jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. However, Trump's attorneys claimed that Carroll defamed him in an interview where she repeated her allegations of rape. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, however, ruled that Carroll's statements were "substantially true" and that Trump failed to prove that she made them with actual malice. The judge's ruling echoed his previous statement that Trump had "digitally raped" Carroll. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, expressed satisfaction with the decision and stated that they expected a quick trial in January to seek additional damages. Trump's legal team has indicated their intention to appeal the ruling.

The defamation lawsuit was filed by Carroll in 2022, using a New York law that allowed adults a one-year window to sue over past sexual abuse. Carroll had first publicly accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s in June 2019. At the time, Trump vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "totally false" and dismissing Carroll as a liar attempting to sell a book. He also claimed that Carroll was not his “type” and therefore he would not have assaulted her. The jury's finding in the civil trial in May determined that Trump had sexually abused Carroll, but did not meet the legal threshold for rape as defined by the New York penal code.

This decision comes amid a series of legal challenges faced by Donald Trump. He is currently facing three indictments, including one for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential vote. In addition to the ongoing defamation case with Carroll, Trump is scheduled to face a criminal trial in March 2023 for falsification of business records related to a hush money payment before the 2016 election. He is also set to go on trial in May 2023 on federal felony counts related to the alleged retention of national security information after leaving the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has consistently denied all allegations against him, accusing prosecutors and Carroll of political bias.

The dismissal of Trump's defamation counterclaim is seen as a blow to his legal defense strategy and could have implications for future legal battles he is facing. The ruling that Carroll's statements were "substantially true" raises questions about the credibility of Trump's denials and could potentially impact his reputation. The upcoming defamation trial in January will provide further insight into the legal consequences of Trump's actions and statements. As the legal proceedings continue, the implications for Trump's political ambitions and his potential candidacy for the presidency in 2024 remain uncertain.