Not Her Type: E. Jean Carroll vs. The President
E. Jean Carroll interview: Not My Type and a landmark civil verdict
This episode features E. Jean Carroll discussing her memoir Not My Type and the high-profile civil case that found Donald J. Trump liable for sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. Host Mike Pesca probes memory, credibility, legal strategy, and cultural context—tying Carroll’s personal account to broader changes driven by the MeToo movement and the Adult Survivors Act.
How memory, media, and memoir shape sexual assault narratives
Carroll explains how a writer’s instinct to record the story intersects with the limits of human memory—initially unsure whether the encounter occurred in 1995 or 1996. The conversation examines how contemporaneous details, corroborating documents, and follow-up interviews helped narrow dates and strengthen her narrative for publication and courtroom use.
Legal tactics: deposition moments, defamation claims, and the Adult Survivors Act
The interview unpacks the two-step path to accountability: first a defamation claim based on Trump’s public denials and name-calling, then a civil sexual-assault suit reopened by the Adult Survivors Act. Pesca and Carroll discuss depositions, defense missteps (including a damaging photo misidentification), and how legal windows and statutes of limitations affect survivor access to civil remedies.
Mock juries, presentation, and the politics of persuasion
A central revelation: mock jury testing changed Carroll’s courtroom strategy. Trial consultants advised updating hairstyle, makeup, and wardrobe to bridge perception gaps among jurors—particularly men who initially concluded she could not have been assaulted because of age or looks. Carroll candidly describes this as a pragmatic adaptation to jury psychology and gendered bias.
Broader implications: MeToo, backlash, and social progress
Carroll places her case in the wider MeToo era—acknowledging gains in visibility and accountability while warning of political and cultural backlash that can roll progress backward. She argues that law, media, and public opinion ebb and flow, and that structural changes like the Adult Survivors Act are essential to expand opportunities for survivors to seek justice.
Takeaway: The episode is a detailed primer on how memory, media exposure, legal timing, and courtroom presentation intersect in modern sexual-assault litigation. It’s essential listening for anyone researching survivor testimony, civil defamation claims, or trial strategy in high-profile cases.
