The civil trial against former US President Donald Trump over the alleged sexual assault and defamation of American journalist E. Jean Carroll has begun.
Nine jurors, including six men and three women, were hand picked by the judge on Tuesday morning Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
The jurors heard opening remarks from the prosecution and defence.
The case comes as Joe Biden announced he will re-run against Trump in the 2024 US presidential election.
Why is E. Jean Carroll suing Trump?
Respected Elle Magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, has filed two separate civil lawsuits against Trump.
The civil case was filed last year after New York introduced a new law allowing one year for victims of sexual assault to raise a civil case after the maximum time set by the legislative body had passed.
Caroll alleged Trump raped her in a New York department store change room in the mid-1990s as the pair shopped together.
Carroll also accused Trump of defaming her after the publication of her book, ‘What do we need men for?’, in which Carrol blamed Donald Trump of abusing her. Trump denied any such wrongdoing and publicly accused Carroll of lying.
Trump denies the allegations, claiming Carrol is a ‘nut job’ and ‘not his type’.
Carroll appeared in court on Tuesday. Trump is not likely to be present in the courtroom at all during the case unless the prosecution calls him in to testify.
The case is expected to last just two weeks. It is one of over a dozen accusations of sexual assaults made against Trump to date.
What would the case mean for Donald Trump?
Trump will not face criminal charges because it is a civil trial. If the jury finds Trump liable, he will likely be ordered to remove the alleged defamatory social media post he made about Carroll.
He will also likely have to pay Carroll a monetary sum to compensate for the damage to her reputation.
Carroll has not specified an amount, but legal experts suggest it could be as much as tens of millions of dollars.
Political commentators suggest it is unlikely to affect Trump’s reputation in the lead-up to his 2024 presidential campaign because his supporters will likely view the case as a conspiracy.
