Trump’s Defense Team Investigates Potential for New Trial Following Discovery of Judge’s Connections to Carroll’s Attorney — Further Details Reveal Carroll’s Other Lead Counsel Previously Served as Judge’s Clerk, and Judge Kaplan Co-officiated Her Wedding
Former President Donald Trump’s defense team is considering the possibility of requesting a new trial.
This development comes in the wake of revelations concerning the presiding judge’s past connections to Carroll’s legal team, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
The controversy centers on Bill Clinton-appointed Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who has been overseeing the defamation case brought by Carroll against Trump.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, expressed shock upon learning that both Judge Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan, who are not related, previously worked together at the same prestigious law firm in the early 1990s.
This connection was uncovered by The New York Post columnist Charles Gasparino, following a tip that Judge Kaplan was once a mentor to Roberta Kaplan.
From 1992 until 2016, Roberta Kaplan was associated with the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton & Garrison. During this time, Judge Lewis Kaplan also held a position as a partner at the same firm.
Judge Kaplan served as a partner until his appointment to the federal bench in 1994, while Roberta Kaplan worked there until 2016 before founding her own firm, Kaplan Hecker & Fink
Habba criticized the lack of disclosure of this past professional relationship, calling it “insane” and “incestuous” and a potential violation of judicial ethics rules.
“As a result of a story published in the New York Post, defense counsel learned for the first time of allegations that Your Honor, while a partner at the Paul Weiss firm, had a “mentor” type relationship with Plaintiff’s lead counsel, Roberta Kaplan,” Trump’s attorney Alina Habba wrote in a letter address to Judge Kaplan on Monday.
“Most concerning, is that the article was brought to the New York Post’s attention by an unnamed partner at Paul Weiss, who was aware of the close relationship between you and Ms. Kaplan and stated that “Lew was like her mentor.””
“The underlying defamation case tried last year, and the damages trial completed last week, were both litigations in which there were many clashes between Your Honor and defense counsel. We believe, and will argue on appeal, that the Court was overtly hostile towards defense counsel and President Trump, and displayed preferential treatment towards Plaintiff’s counsel. Indeed, the rulings, tone, and demeanor of the bench raised significant concerns even before the New York Post’s investigative journalism unearthed these new facts.”
“If Your Honor truly worked with Ms. Kaplan in any capacity—especially if there was a mentor/mentee relationship—that fact should have been disclosed before any case involving these parties was permitted to proceed forward,” said Habba.
On Tuesday, Roberta Kaplan denied allegations of having a mentor-mentee relationship with Judge Lewis Kaplan.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/trumps-defense-team-investigates-potential-new-trial-following/