High-profile attorney Roberta Kaplan is under fire for her role in a controversial defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. Kaplan represented E. Jean Carroll, who alleged that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room decades ago. However, Carroll later admitted that she worked with New York Democrats to change the laws temporarily so she could sue Trump for the alleged incident, which occurred outside of the statute of limitations.
The lawsuit, which was funded by left-wing billionaire Reid Hoffman, ultimately resulted in Carroll being awarded $83.3 million and $5 million in two separate cases. However, allegations have surfaced that Kaplan failed to inform Trump's lawyers and the court when she knew that Carroll provided false information during a deposition.
A complaint has been filed with the New York State Supreme Court against Kaplan for violating the Rules of Professional Conduct regarding outside funding of Carroll's lawsuits. The complaint, filed by the National Legal and Policy Center, alleges that Kaplan failed to inform the court and Trump's lawyers about the outside funding for nearly six months.
It has also been discovered that Kaplan and her client, Carroll, lied to the jury about the funding for the lawsuit, which was provided by Hoffman's nonprofit group, American Future Republic. The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the funding and lies during the deposition.
The complaint also raises questions about whether Kaplan charged excessive fees to Carroll, which would be a violation of New York ethics rules. It is alleged that Kaplan charged a contingency fee to Carroll and also received legal fees from Hoffman, which may have constituted excessive fees.
The National Legal and Policy Center has called for Kaplan to be investigated for her actions and has also called for Hoffman to leave Microsoft's Board of Directors due to his involvement in the lawsuit and alleged misfeasance.
