Appeals court refuses to decide if Trump can be shielded from rape accuser's lawsuit

The court said it did not have enough facts to decide

Former US President Donald Trump. Credit: AFP Photo

A Washington, DC, appeals court on Thursday refused to decide whether Donald Trump can be shielded from a defamation lawsuit by E Jean Carroll, a writer who said the former US president raped her nearly three decades ago.

The district's highest local court, the Court of Appeals, said it did not have enough facts to decide whether Trump was acting as president when he accused the former Elle magazine columnist in June 2019 of lying about the alleged encounter.