Minutes after a new state law went into effect allowing victims of sexual violence to sue over incidents that occurred decades ago, writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused former president, Donald Trump of rape, filed an updated case against him in New York on Thursday.

The Adult Survivor’s Act temporarily extended the deadlines for sexual assault lawsuits in the state, so Carroll’s attorney electronically filed the necessary documents. For pain and suffering, psychological impairments, loss of dignity, and reputational harm, she requested unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

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Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, first made the allegation in a 2019 book, claiming Trump violated her in a changing room of a high-end Manhattan department shop in 1995 or 1996.

In response to the charges in the book, Trump stated that it was impossible since Carroll was “not my type”.

Carroll sued him for defamation as a result of his words, but the case is still pending in appellate courts as judges determine whether he is immune from liability for remarks made while he was president.

Carroll had previously been prohibited from suing over the alleged rape by state law because too much time had passed since the incident.

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The new rule in New York, however, provides sex crime victims with a second chance to bring a case if they missed the deadline for the statute of limitations. The customary time constraints will be reestablished following a year-long window for such lawsuits.

At least hundreds of lawsuits are anticipated, many of which will be brought by women who claim they were sexually harassed by coworkers, prison guards, medical professionals, or other individuals.

Carroll asserts in her latest allegations that Trump assaulted her last month when he “forcibly raped and groped her” and that he defamed her by saying she was the victim of a rape.

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Carroll “completely made up a story that I met her at the doors of this crowded New York City Department Store and, within minutes, ‘swooned’ her. It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years,” Trump said in his statement. 

Carroll may be able to avoid a potentially fatal legal fault in her initial defamation complaint because of her new power to accuse Trump of rape.

Carroll wouldn’t be able to sue Trump for those words if the courts finally rule that his initial derogatory remarks about Carroll’s rape allegation were necessary for him to perform his duties as president since government personnel is immune from defamation claims. No such protection would apply to his actions before he was elected president.

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Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who is in charge of the defamation case Carroll brought three years ago, may decide to add the new claims in a trial that is most likely to take place in the spring.

This week, Trump’s present attorneys stated that they are unsure of whether they will defend him against the fresh accusations.

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, who is independent of the judge, stated at a court proceeding last week that the fresh allegations shouldn’t necessitate a lot more evidence collecting. Last Monday, she already included a copy of the additional allegations in the primary case file. Carroll and Trump were also removed from office already.

The latest lawsuit, according to a statement from Kaplan’s client, “intends to hold Donald Trump accountable not only for defaming her, but also for sexually assaulting her, which he did years ago in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman.”

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“Thanksgiving Day was the very first day Ms Carroll could file under New York law so our complaint was filed with the court shortly after midnight,” Kaplan added.

At the hearing, Trump’s lawyer Michael Madaio asserted that the new charges differ dramatically from the defamation action and would necessitate “an entirely new set” of evidence gathering.

An inquiry for comment sent to a Trump lawyer on Wednesday went unanswered. Less than ten minutes into the new day, the complaint was filed, and another message asking for comment was sent to the attorney.