E Jean Carroll returned to the witness box in her rape and defamation civil case against Donald Trump on Monday, hours after the judge denied a defence request for a mistrial.
Mr Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina began cross-examining Ms Carroll for a second day, hoping to show jurors inconsistencies or holes in her claims against the former US president.
Ms Carroll, 79, has accused Mr Trump, 76, of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996, and then undermining her credibility and career by lying about it online.
Her defamation claim concerns an October 2022 post on Mr Trump's Truth Social platform, in which he called the former Elle magazine advice columnist's case a “complete con job” and “a hoax and a lie”.
The trial in Manhattan federal court began on April 25 and is in its fourth day.
In seeking a mistrial, Mr Tacopina wrote an 18-page letter accusing US District Judge Lewis Kaplan of bias against Mr Trump.
He said the effect of several “unfair and prejudicial” rulings by Mr Kaplan “manifests a deeper leaning towards one party over another”, including comments in which the judge “openly expresses favouritism”.
Mr Tacopina said Mr Kaplan, an appointee of Democratic president Bill Clinton, should have let him question Ms Carroll about why she did not seek security camera footage of the alleged rape.
Requests for mistrials are often long shots, though they often form a basis for eventual appeals.
A businessman-turned-politician, Mr Trump has not attended Ms Carroll's trial and on Monday was in Scotland for a short trip to visit his golf courses there.
Because the case is a civil one, Ms Carroll must establish her claims by a preponderance of the evidence — meaning there was more likelihood than not that the incident occurred — and does not need to meet the tougher criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mr Trump's lawyers have not said publicly whether he plans to give evidence in the case. They have identified only one other possible defence witness, psychiatrist Edgar Nace.
Several women have accused Mr Trump of sexual misconduct. He has denied their allegations.
Reuters contributed to this report
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
