U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's motion for summary judgment in E. Jean Carroll's original defamation case, finding in a 46-page opinion that Trump cannot bring an absolute immunity defense and that his arguments are "without merit."

Trump moved for summary judgment in December, nearly two and a half years after the case related to Trump's alleged defamation of Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault, was removed to federal court.