Judge criticizes Trump’s midtrial mistrial request in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge who presided over the trial that resulted in an $83 million award to writer E. Jean Carroll for her defamation claims against former President Donald Trump says rejecting his lawyer’s midtrial mistrial request was not a close call. Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued an opinion on Wednesday explaining why he swiftly rejected Trump attorney Alina Habba’s request for the mistrial, which she made in front of the jury as Carroll testified. Habba claimed surprise after Carroll testified she deleted some death threat emails. But the judge said Habba had known for over a year that Carroll deleted some death threat emails.