Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, has written the judge who presided over E. Jean Carroll a fiery letter after some troubling allegations were made.
Recently, a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages; however, after the verdict, it was learned that Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan has close connections with Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan (no relation).
The allegations are Judge Kaplan was a “mentor” to Carroll’s lawyer when they worked together in the 1990s at a midtown law firm.
If Your Honor truly worked with Ms. Kaplan in any capacity — especially if there was a mentor/mentee relationship — that fact should have been disclosed before any case involving these parties was permitted to proceed forward,” Habba wrote in a letter to the judge.
“This issue is particularly concerning since Plaintiff’s other lead counsel, Shawn Crowley, served as Your Honor’s law clerk, and we were previously advised that Your Honor co-officiated her wedding.”
“Here, without knowing more information (or having a specific factual denial by Your Honor that you had a mentor-mentee relationship with Ms. Kaplan), we are unable to flesh out our position concerning what specific relief should be requested,” Habba wrote.
“Surely, however, this Court should provide defense counsel with all of the relevant facts. At a minimum, this information could certainly prove relevant to President Trump’s forthcoming Rule 59 motion,” she added.
“We believe, and will argue on appeal, that the Court was overtly hostile towards defense counsel and President Trump, and displayed preferential treatment towards Plaintiff’s counsel,” Habba wrote. “Indeed, the rulings, tone, and demeanor of the bench raised significant concerns even before the New York Post’s investigative journalism unearthed these new facts.”
Even Rachel Maddow squirms in discomfort LIVE on MSNBC after Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll brags about going shopping and buying penthouses after court awards her $83.3 MILLION from Trump pic.twitter.com/nTpRwFitUz
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 30, 2024