Justice Department reverses position, won't support shielding Trump in original E. Jean Carroll lawsuit
CBSN
The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed its position that former President Donald Trump was shielded from a 2019 defamation lawsuit filed by the writer E. Jean Carroll.
The government had originally argued that Trump was protected from liability by the Westfall Act, because he was acting as a federal employee. Under the act, federal employees are entitled to absolute immunity from personal lawsuits for conduct occurring within the scope of their employment.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton wrote in a letter Tuesday to attorneys for Trump and Carroll that a jury's determination in a separate civil lawsuit that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll factored into the decision. That lawsuit was filed in November 2022 and involved statements Trump made after his presidency.
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