Jury hears closing remarks in Donald Trump civil rape case

A lawyer for a writer accusing Donald Trump of rape in a civil trial urged a jury to hold the ex-president liable for the alleged assault. 

"No one, not even in a former president is above the law," said Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, on Monday.

In closing remarks in New York, Mr Trump's legal team accused E Jean Carroll of "bringing a false claim".

Ms Carroll alleges Mr Trump raped her in a New York department store in the 1990s, which he denies.

The nine-member jury is due to begin their deliberations on Tuesday morning in the civil rape and defamation trial against former president after they receive instructions from US District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

The jury has been hearing arguments over the last two weeks in a Manhattan federal court.

In her closing arguments, Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told the jury that Mr Trump was essentially "a witness against himself" due to comments he made in an Access Hollywood video where he said famous people can do anything to women, including grabbing women by their genitals.

She also said "self-blame" kept Ms Carroll from going to the police for decades, something Trump's lawyer have used against her in his defence.

In the final parts of his remarks, which lasted over two hours, Mr Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina sought to piece together his argument that Ms Carroll's allegation was a politically motivated plot to take down Mr Trump.

The former president did not appear at the trial in person but instead was present in a video of an October deposition played for the court.

Ms Carroll, 79, has accused Mr Trump, 76, of attacking her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1995 or 1996.

Jurors in the two-week trial heard days of graphic testimony. Ms Carroll told jurors she was left "unable to ever have a romantic life again" after the alleged attack.

A former columnist for Elle magazine, Ms Carroll was able to bring the civil case against Mr Trump after New York passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022.

The act allowed a one-year period for victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in the state over claims that would have normally exceeded statute limitations.