A federal judge threw out a defamation countersuit filed by former President Donald Trump against magazine writer E. Jean Carroll. 

For Context: In May, a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse toward Carroll over an incident in a department store in the 1990s as well as defamation toward Carroll, awarding her $5 million. The jury determined Trump did not rape Carroll, but did sexually abuse her, another form of sexual battery under the New York Penal Law. The day after this ruling, Carroll reiterated the rape claim in an interview with CNN (Lean Left bias). This statement led Trump to file a countersuit, alleging defamation. 

Key Quotes: Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling determined that Carroll’s statement was “substantially true,” and that “Mr. Trump in fact did ‘rape’ Ms. Carroll as that term commonly is used and understood in contexts outside of the New York Penal Law.” Trump’s lawyer responded to the ruling by stating, “We strongly disagree with the flawed decision and will be filing an appeal shortly.” Carroll’s lawyer stated, “E. Jean Carroll looks forward to obtaining additional compensatory and punitive damages based on the original defamatory statements Donald Trump made in 2019.”

How the Media Covered It: Left-rated outlets covered the ruling most frequently and prominently. Left- and center-rated outlets noted this legal battle as one of many Trump currently faces, most notably his two indictments from the Department of Justice.