Trump Given Hard Deadline on E. Jean Carroll Testimony

Both sides in the E. Jean Carroll defamation and battery suit against former President Donald Trump rested their cases Thursday evening in Manhattan court.

But New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan offered an extended deadline for Trump to testify in his own defense, giving the former president's legal team until 5 p.m. Sunday to petition the court to reopen the case.

Trump has maintained that the accusations from Carroll, a former columnist who alleges that the former president raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, are a "hoax." He also has not appeared in the courtroom for any point of his seven-day defense trial.

But while speaking to reporters at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Thursday, Trump said that he will "probably" attend the trial, and again claimed that Carroll's case was based on "false accusations."

"I will probably attend (the trial) and I think it's a disgrace that it's allowed to happen, false accusations against a rich guy, or in my case against a famous, rich and political person," the former president said.

"I have to go back for a woman that made a false accusation about me, and I have a judge who is extremely hostile," he added. "Because of that I have to leave Ireland and I have to leave Scotland where I have great properties, I have to leave early. I don't have to but I choose to."

According to a report from CNN, Kaplan ordered the "precautionary" deadline for Trump to testify due to his comments earlier that day. Trump legally waived his right to testify in court when his team rested their case.

"He has a right to testify, which has been waived, but if he has second thoughts, I'll at least consider it and maybe we'll see what happens," Kaplan told the attorneys Thursday.

CNN reported that Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina indicated that the former president's defense team would not be petitioning to reopen the case. Tacopina previously told Kaplan that Trump would not attend the trial in person.

As it stands, both sides will deliver closing arguments to the jury Monday morning.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump via the contact form on his website earlier Thursday for comment. Newsweek has also reached out to Tacopina via email for comment Thursday evening.

According to the lawsuit, Carroll alleges that Trump "pushed his fingers around Carroll's genitals and forced his penis inside of her." The former Elle writer first came forward with the allegations in her book released in 2019, but was immediately met with denial from Trump, who said that Carroll wasn't his "type" and that the story was a lie.

Carroll is suing Trump for both battery and defamation over his comments in response to her accusations. Since the case is civil, Trump will not serve any jail time if the jury rules against him, but he could be ordered to make a large financial settlement.