Legal experts skewered Alina Habba’s “comedy of bumbling errors” in Trump defamation trial
Former President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83.3 million verdict in the defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll is unlikely to succeed, legal experts say.
“Let me ruin the suspense for everyone. Trump doesn’t have an appeal,” Nashville lawyer Brian Manookian argued Friday. “I know the talking heads on TV who have never tried a case or appealed a jury verdict have to mention it. Here’s why it isn’t going to fly.”
A person must “preserve a reversible error at the trial level” in order to have a case with merit on appeal, Manookian explained, ultimately blaming Trump’s lack thereof on his legal team in the case.
“This is why you hire competent counsel. You need someone who actually knows the rules of evidence and procedure,” he said. “Alina Habba had no clue what was occurring throughout the trial. She not only failed to preserve any remote grounds for appeal, like a moron, she repeatedly and unintentionally waived them over and over.”
A good lawyer would have reserved ground for an appeal. But she is not a good lawyer. Trump is going to write the check, but he will not see the money come back.
One argument goes that she was counting on her blatant incompetence to be grounds for appeal. Once/if Trump ever finds a competent lawyer willing to represent him.
Having a bad lawyer is not grounds for an appeal. You have to prove they committed an act. She was just stupid enough to stipulate to all the evidence. Stupid doesn’t work for an appeal.