Defiant Trump takes legal risk on stand in New York defamation trial

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, insisted that the former US president limit the topics he discussed on the stand, since a separate trial found him liable of sexually assaulting Ms Carroll.

He left no room for the current Republican presidential frontrunner to go beyond the agreed terms, making it impossible for him to launch into a monologue or to campaign from the witness stand.

Testifying outside of the limitations outlined by the judge on Thursday could have theoretically caused Mr Trump to face hefty fines or even five years in prison for perjury.

Ronnell Andersen Jones, a professor of law at the University of Utah, told BBC News this case shows the "wide gap" between Mr Trump's strategies in court and on the campaign trail.

While the former president and his lawyers may want to convince the jury that his comments in the White House did not show "ill will that warrants punitive damages", that is easier said than done considering his actions.

"This will be a hard row to hoe, given that this same jury is daily receiving new evidence that the defendant, outside the courtroom, continues to spread the lie undeterred," Ms Jones said.

The original article contains 707 words, the summary contains 199 words. Saved 72%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

4 comments

ill believe in legal risks for this guy when hes behind bars and not before... which is never going to happen
financial penalties are not a punishment nor a deterrent , obviously. this is an ad spot he might have to pay a little for
- He won't be behind bars for this one. This is to determine punitive damages for the woman he raped.
  So hope that the jury awards her $500mil, because she deserves no less.
  
  Despite it being a civil trail, wouldn't he be subject to contempt of court?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, insisted that the former US president limit the topics he discussed on the stand, since a separate trial found him liable of sexually assaulting Ms Carroll.
He left no room for the current Republican presidential frontrunner to go beyond the agreed terms, making it impossible for him to launch into a monologue or to campaign from the witness stand.
Testifying outside of the limitations outlined by the judge on Thursday could have theoretically caused Mr Trump to face hefty fines or even five years in prison for perjury.
Ronnell Andersen Jones, a professor of law at the University of Utah, told BBC News this case shows the "wide gap" between Mr Trump's strategies in court and on the campaign trail.
While the former president and his lawyers may want to convince the jury that his comments in the White House did not show "ill will that warrants punitive damages", that is easier said than done considering his actions.
"This will be a hard row to hoe, given that this same jury is daily receiving new evidence that the defendant, outside the courtroom, continues to spread the lie undeterred," Ms Jones said.
The original article contains 707 words, the summary contains 199 words. Saved 72%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!