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Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The federal judge presiding over the penalty phase of E. Jean Carroll's civil defamation suit against former President Donald Trump decided to postpone additional testimony until Wednesday. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan granted Trump a one-day reprieve from the legal battle and postponed the case until after Tuesday's New Hampshire primary as the second ballot of the 2024 election season takes shape.
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The court proceedings were hastily adjourned Monday after Trump's attorney Alina Habba reported feeling sick after visiting relatives who later tested positive for COVID-19. Habba's co-counsel Michael Madaio was also exposed and one juror did not report to court as they went back home to take a COVID test after feeling ill Monday morning.
Previously, defense lawyers said Trump was prepared to testify during the hearing, but following several delays, the former president is now expected to take the stand when the trial resumes.
On Monday, Habba had also argued to delay the trial until Wednesday, citing the New Hampshire primary.
"My client reminded me tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and he needs to be in New Hampshire," Habba said as Trump sat next to her.
On Monday, Carroll's lawyer objected to any delay, imploring in court, "we'd like to get this trial over."
However, Kaplan did not make the ruling immediately and neither cited the New Hampshire primary nor the juror's health concerns as reasons for putting the trial on hold for an additional day.
The second vote of the primary season comes as the Republican race narrowed to two candidates -- Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley -- after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bowed out Sunday following his collapse last week in the Iowa caucuses.
The federal civil case is being heard in the U.S. Southern District of New York, where Carroll is seeking an additional $10 million from Trump after a jury found Trump sexually abused the writer in a Manhattan department store dressing room three decades ago.
Last May, Carroll won a $5 million civil verdict that held Trump liable for the dressing room incident under a New York law that allowed assault victims to seek civil damages despite the lapse in statute of limitations.
As part of that verdict, Trump was also found liable for defaming Carroll in a 2022 Truth Social post, in which Trump called the allegations "a Hoax" before declaring "This woman is not my type!"
Following the trial, Carroll's legal team filed an amended complaint in the original 2019 defamation case after Trump appeared on a CNN town hall on May 10 -- one day after the verdict -- claiming not to know Carroll.
