One of Donald Trump‘s top attorneys is stepping away from defending him in E. Jean Caroll‘s battery and defamation lawsuits after a judge ordered her and the former president to pay nearly $1 million for filing “frivolous” lawsuits.
Alina Habba, who represents Trump in several of his ongoing litigation disputes, will step back to allow high-profile criminal attorney Joe Tacopina to defend him against Carroll’s suit, according to court records. Carroll’s suit alleges Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in New York in the 1990s, and she has filed additional complaints accusing him of defamation when he denied the assault.
The decision to make Tacopina the new head counsel over the case comes just days after Habba and Trump were fined on Jan. 19 by a Florida judge for filing “frivolous” lawsuits, specifically over allegations that key Democratic figures, including Hillary Clinton, conspired to smear Trump by saying he and his campaign were colluding with Russia in order to win the 2016 election.
Habba sought to detract from criticism that Tacopina’s replacement was related to the recent fines in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“While I appreciate the left-wing media’s attempt to fabricate any story to fit their narrative, I am so happy to have Joe step in and assist,” Habba said, adding that she handles “half a dozen cases for the president and there is no one more in the president’s corner outside of his family than I am.”
Habba also said she is going to appeal the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks that ordered her and Trump to pay $938,000 in legal costs to the dozens of defendants named in the suit.
Tacopina is a New York-based attorney who has represented a number of high-profile clients, including the rapper Meek Mill, and former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez, and his work includes notable legal achievements such as securing suspected killer Joran van der Sloot’s release from jail.
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He told the New York Times in 2005 that he has a “knack” for taking on top-level cases and that he enjoys difficult challenges.
“I get a certain adrenaline rush knowing your every move is going to be evaluated. I like the high stakes,” Tacopina said.
