Columnist’s lawyer warns judge that Trump hopes to ‘sow chaos’ as jury considers defamation damages

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for a columnist who last year won a $5 million jury award against Donald Trump for sex abuse and defamation says the former president’s recent behavior shows he’ll try to “sow chaos” when a new jury considers if he owes even more in damages. The attorney, Roberta Kaplan, asked a judge Friday to take strong measures to ensure Trump can’t taint a jury that will consider whether columnist E. Jean Carroll should get more money. The judge late Friday denied a request to postpone the trial for one week so Trump can travel to and attend the funeral for the mother of his wife, Melania. Trump has strenuously denied sexually abusing Carroll in a department store in 1996 since she first revealed her claims publicly in 2019.