Despite vowing to appeal the judge’s recent ruling in the Donald Trump defamation case with E. Jean Carroll, many were left wondering this morning if Alina Habba’s time with Trump was up.
Last night, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was seeking new legal help to fight the case.
“I am in the process, along with my team, of interviewing various law firms to represent me in an Appeal of one of the most ridiculous and unfair Witch Hunts our country has ever seen – The defamation Scam presided over by a Clinton appointed, highly partisan, Trump hating judge, Lewis Kaplan.”
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He then went on to lambast Judge Kaplan for how the trial was run. He seemed particularly irked that the judge only allowed him to take the stand “for minutes”.
Trump ended his Truth Social posting by saying, “Any lawyer who takes a Trump case is either ‘CRAZY,’ or a ‘TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT’. I will make my decision soon.”
Online, many concluded this could only mean one thing: Alina Habba is out.
Why a new law firm? Alina Habba said she was just getting started. pic.twitter.com/PJuY7ZLcnf
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 31, 2024
Alina Habba reportedly found out Donald Trump FIRED her when scrolling through his social media feed.
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) January 31, 2024
Looks like she won’t be getting paid. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/qg3dMhgmUz
Guess not, Alina! pic.twitter.com/YI01clKy09
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 31, 2024
However, Habba insists this is not the case. Queerty reached out to her to ask if she was still representing Trump and working on the case.
“Of course I am. We are hiring appellate firms,” she replied, via email.
An appellate law firm is a legal practice that specializes in handling cases on appeal.
The defamation damages
Last Friday, Judge Kaplan ordered Trump to pay damages of around $83.3 million to veteran journalist Carroll. In 2019, Trump accused Carroll of lying about their encounter in the 1990s, when he sexually assaulted her in a department store changing room.
This comes after a 2022 civil defamation trial in which Trump was ordered to pay $5 million to Carroll.
Trump was represented in his most recent trial by Habba. She faced frequent criticism for her performance in the courtroom.
Following last Friday’s ruling, on Monday Habba filed a letter to the court. It concerned an article in the New York Post. That story alleged that Judge Lewis Kaplan and Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan (no relation), had worked together in the 1990s at a large law firm. An unidentified source at the firm alleged Lewis Kaplan was “like [Roberta Kaplan’s] mentor.”
Habba suggested this was a conflict of interest and ethics violation. She went as far as telling the New York Post it was “insane and so incestuous” and, if true, it would be part of Trump’s appeal.
“Utterly baseless”
However, both Judge Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan have blasted the claims. In a letter to the court, Roberta Kaplan yesterday said the “allegations are utterly baseless.” Both acknowledged working for the same law firm between 1992-94. However, Roberta said she could remember having no interactions with Lewis Kaplan at all during that overlap in their careers.
Roberta Kaplan ended her letter by suggesting she would not let the matter end with a denial. She might seek sanctions against Habba.
“From the very start of the recently concluded trial, Donald Trump and Ms. Habba have pushed a false narrative of judicial bias so that they could characterize any jury verdict against Trump as the product of a corrupt system. While that strategy has now moved into its post-verdict phase, it is now time for Defendant’s false and vexatious claims of bias or impropriety to stop.”
Habba responded in another statement. She claimed she was just asking questions and now wanted to drop the matter and move on.
“The purpose of the letter was simply to inquire as to whether there is any merit to a recently published New York Post story which reported on the alleged existence of such a relationship,” she wrote. “Since Ms. Kaplan has now denied that there was ever a mentor-mentee relationship between herself and Your Honor, this issue has seemingly been resolved.”
Related:
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Even a former Monty Python star has weighed in with comment
still_onthemark
It’s totally normal to hire appellate lawyers for an appeal. The operative word being “HIRE” since Trump doesn’t like to actually pay them. But maybe he can find a young female MAGA appellate lawyer who will “take it out in trade” like Habba.
quantum
What does Habba get out of this? Other than abused? Priority tee time at the golf club?
Diplomat
She’s out to pasture…
RIGay
Well! There goes her SCOTUS nomination!
Ronbo
One often gets what one pays for…. Hopefully, tRump will “pay” his crime debt quite soon behind bars and BEFORE swearing in. Sad that seems our best hope for preventing a dictatorship.
Let’s hope Biden very soon enlarges the Supreme Court to 12 (the size of a jury). This banana republic needs balance, and we aren’t going to get it from the current Supreme Court of corrupt jesters.
correctio
checking in on q e r t y. looks like this website has devolved into a bunch of boomer gays screaming into the void about Trump and his cronies. cool. hope you guys are having fun! don’t forget to take your heart medication
dbmcvey
Except you overlooked all the anti-trans conservative trolls screaming into the void about Biden. I hope you’re having fun as one of them.
ZzBomb
Trump needs to be 2A’d out of existence.
Baron Wiseman
@ZzBomb
Are advocating for assassination?
abfab
Hang it up, Sharon.
mildredspierce
Didn’t shrill, angry Marge say Madonna was on it?
ZzBomb
@mildred
Did you also know Taylor Swift is now a CIA psyop? Everything is a conspiracy against Trump! The great “strongman” there is who yet somehow is always the victim!?
RIGay
Surely there are bus stop benches with other attorney advertising plastered on them down in West Palm!
bachy
IKR?
There’s gotta be an ambulance chaser somewhere willing to take the case on spec.
phillycap
As much as I look down on this incompetent lawyer, this shows ignorance on the part of the posters on X. Yes, he is looking at appellate firms. It is commonplace that different law firms take on the appeal. She’s a trial lawyer (well, she claims she is a trial lawyer). She’s not an appellate lawyer. It will be interesting to see who takes on this dog of a case. Even more interesting if he can come up with the cash in the form of an appellate bond so he can even FILE an appeal.
JewishJeff
Who uses “X” and their racism??
OldTopKick
Habba Dabba Doofus wouldn’t be the first person that Dumpy fired by social media.
bachy
hehehe
JewishJeff
So when you lose in court you can file charges??!!