Donald Trump was accused in a civil court in New York on Tuesday of raping a journalist in the mid-nineties of the last century, but his lawyer strongly denied this and accused the former columnist of greed for money and the pursuit of fame.

After more than 25 years of facts, nine jurors, six men and three women, who were chosen Tuesday before a federal court in Manhattan, will try to reveal this case, which is represented by the existence of two completely contradictory narratives.

In an indication of the sensitivity of the trial, which is supposed to last between five to ten days, Judge Louis Kaplan confirmed that the jurors' identities would not be revealed to avoid any pressure.

And since 2019, E. Jean Carroll and her lawyers have confirmed that the former President of the United States "touched and raped" her after he lured her into a fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman's store in New York, at a date she does not remember precisely, but in "spring 1996."

"As soon as they entered (the cabin), everything changed. Suddenly it wasn't fun," Sean Crowley of Carroll's lawyers said at the start of the hearing.

"Trump's build is almost twice as strong as her (journalism's) build," said the lawyer.

She explained that the columnist kept silent for 20 years, fearing her reputation would be ruined by a powerful man. But after the #MeToo movement, the journalist who was writing for Elle magazine in the United States decided to speak out in a book published in 2019.
Two female friends of the journalist, who had confided to them what happened shortly after the incidents, will give their testimony.

Donald Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, criticized what he considered "contempt for the judiciary". "She is taking advantage of the system for money, for political reasons and for her prestige," he told Carol, 79, who was staring at him.

But, realizing that the personality of Donald Trump, who was absent from the opening hearing of the trial and will likely miss the following sessions, may cause a refusal in New York, Tacubina made sure to tell the jury: “You can hate Donald Trump (...) but not here in court".

The jury will have to determine the amount of damages that can be awarded to the writer.

The 76-year-old former president (2017-2021) is seeking a second term in November 2024, but he faces mounting lawsuits.

And in early April, in an unprecedented event for a former US president, Trump was formally charged in New York with 34 accounting and tax fraud related to payments to cover up confusing cases before the 2016 presidential election, including a sexual relationship with porn actress Stormy Daniels that he denied.

In 2019, Carroll first filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump because he described her accusations as a "complete lie", stressing that she was not his "type (of women)".

His lawyer said he enjoys immunity as head of state.

But in November 2022, a law went into effect in New York State (the “Adult Survivors Act”) that allows victims of sexual assault within a year to re-launch civil legal proceedings, even if the facts are criminally obsolete.

So E Jean Carroll filed a new civil complaint for "defamation" but also "assault".

Judge Lewis Kaplan noted that Donald Trump has not been criminally charged with rape, but that "assault" could be "unwarranted touching without the consent of the person concerned."

During a statement during the proceedings, Donald Trump reiterated his line of defense: "I will say it with the utmost respect: first, she's not my type, and second, it never happened."

But in front of the photo in which he appeared with E. Jane Carroll at a reception years before the facts, Trump confused his accuser with his ex-wife, actress Marla Maples, whom he married from 1993 to 1999.

The Republican billionaire has been accused of sexual assault by other women on several occasions in the past, which he has always denied.