Trump’s trial in E Jean Carroll defamation case canceled Monday

The judge overseeing a defamation case against Donald Trump has postponed trial proceedings after jurors and attorneys were potentially exposed to Covid-19.

The former president and E Jean Carroll had already arrived and were seated in a federal courtroom on Monday for the second week of a trial to determine how much Mr Trump owes Ms Carroll for her defamation claims after he was found liable for sexually abusing her.

Mr Trump’s attorney Alina Habba asked for the court to resume on Wednesday, one day after the New Hampshire presidential primary election, a request that Ms Carroll’s attorneys have opposed.

Ms Habba reported to the judge that she was not feeling well and was not wering a face covering while seated next to her client. A juror also reported feeling hot and nauseous.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan agreed to postpone the hearings until a later date but did not determine whether the proceedings would continue tomorrow.

Judge Kaplan also denied Mr Trump’s request for a mistrial, which Ms Habba requested while the jury was present and with Ms Carroll still on the witness stand last week. In letters to the judge over the weekend, attorneys for Ms Carroll called Ms Habba’s performance a “spectacle” and urged the judge to deny the request.

This is a developing story