Roberta Kaplan rebuts claims of mentorship with judge in E. Jean Carroll case against Trump
Roberta Kaplan responded forcefully to assertions made by Donald Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, regarding an alleged mentor-mentee relationship between Kaplan and Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against Trump. Kaplan dismissed the allegations as “false” and “completely unfounded.”
In her letter addressed to Judge Kaplan, Roberta Kaplan clarified that while they both worked at the same firm in the early 1990s, their interactions were minimal. She emphasized that their contact was limited to Carroll’s litigation against Trump and another case presided over by the judge. Kaplan firmly denied any mentorship arrangement, as suggested by Habba.
The dispute arose after Habba accused Judge Kaplan of showing hostility towards Trump and his legal team during the trial. She requested clarification on the professional relationship between Kaplan and Roberta Kaplan, citing a report from the New York Post.
However, Kaplan questioned the timing of the allegations, noting that information about their work history is publicly available. She criticized Trump and Habba for perpetuating a false narrative of judicial bias throughout the trial and called for an end to their unfounded claims.
Habba later indicated that the issue had been resolved for the time being, acknowledging Kaplan’s denial of any mentor-mentee relationship. The court declined to comment on the matter.
Roberta Kaplan concluded by stating her intention to respond promptly to the allegations while reserving the right to seek sanctions against Trump’s attorneys for their baseless claims.
The exchange between attorneys adds another layer of contention to the aftermath of the trial, which concluded with a jury awarding Carroll $83.3 million in damages for Trump’s defamatory statements.
