Trump countersuit thrown out by judge
NEW YORK -- Former President Donald Trump's legal moves aimed at delaying a rape accuser's defamation claims from reaching trial are in bad faith and, so far, succeeding, a judge said in a decision released Friday as he rejected Trump's attempt to countersue.
E. Jean Carroll's single claim of defamation "could have been tried and decided -- one way or the other -- long ago," U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said.
In a ruling dated Thursday but filed Friday, Kaplan cited delays caused by Trump's legal tactics as he rejected his attempt to countersue Carroll under a law sometimes used to challenge defamation lawsuits that make claims unfairly.
A countersuit could have been filed 14 months ago, Kaplan said.
"The record convinces this Court that the defendant's litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less," the judge said.
Trump attorney Alina Habba responded with an email saying, "While we are disappointed with the Court's decision today, we eagerly look forward to litigating this action and proving at trial that the plaintiff's claims have absolutely no basis in law or in fact."
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said of the judge's decision: "My client ... and I could not agree more."
Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine, wrote in a 2019 book that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s in an upscale Manhattan department store. Trump denied it and questioned her credibility and motivations.
The lawsuit can't go to trial until the appeals court clarifies whether the defendant is Trump or the U.S. government.
'Boogaloo' member sentenced to 3 years
MINNEAPOLIS -- A self-described member of an anti-government extremist group accused of taking advantage of the unrest after George Floyd's killing to raise money for the movement was sentenced Thursday to three years in federal prison.
Michael Robert Solomon, 31, of New Brighton, Minn., admitted to selling silencers and other firearm components to FBI informants whom he believed were members of the Hamas terror group. Solomon is one of several men charged in Minnesota to be identified as members of the "boogaloo" movement.
Federal prosecutors originally recommended a 20-year sentence for Solomon but lowered that to 10 years because of his cooperation with law enforcement. Information from Solomon led authorities to shut down a West Virginia operation that sold devices to convert semi-automatic firearms into unlawful fully automatic guns.
U.S. District Judge Michael Davis compared Solomon's case to those of other terrorism cases that have been sentenced, all at a lower level than prosecutors wanted, the Star Tribune reported.
"Even if you are a bad guy," he said, "there are other bad guys out there that are doing way less time."
Podcast led to request for DNA retest
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore prosecutors and attorneys for a Maryland man whose murder conviction was chronicled in the podcast "Serial" are seeking a new look at the case.
The prosecutors signed on to a motion Thursday that asks a judge to order a retest of some evidence in the case against Adnan Syed, The Baltimore Sun reported.
The two sides agreed the Baltimore City Police Lab should retest certain items collected as evidence in the 1999 killing of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee using DNA technology that was not available for Syed's trials.
He is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2000 of strangling Lee and burying her body in a Baltimore park. Syed and Lee were high-school classmates who had dated.
Authorities have maintained they struggled in a car before her death. In the latest motion, his attorney argues that in such circumstances, a killer would have to be in close proximity to the victim. The motion requests testing evidence for the presence of DNA.
In its debut 2014 season, the "Serial" podcast shined a spotlight on the case that led to renewed court proceedings.
Father pleads guilty in daughter's death
HOBART, Ind. -- An Indiana father has pleaded guilty in the 2017 fatal shooting of his 9-year-old daughter as he warned his two sons never to play with a handgun.
Eric Hummel, 38, entered his plea Thursday to reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent charges, The Northwest Indiana Times reported. Hummel, of Hobart, could face up to 8½ years in prison at his June 9 sentencing.
Court records show that Hummel said he was showing the 9mm semi-automatic handgun to his sons and telling them to never play with it "because it can kill someone" when he accidentally shot and killed his daughter, Olivia.
Authorities said he inadvertently shot the girl in the forehead as she walked into the room.
He sobbed while reporting the shooting in a 911 call, telling the dispatcher, "This can't be real." Hummel told the dispatcher he didn't realize the gun was loaded when he pulled the trigger. The girl died about 30 minutes later at a hospital.