Hi Alessandro, I am not an expert on the case, but I think there are two key points about the time issue. First, the claim was that Trump defamed Carroll when he called her a liar. The defamation was recent, and the question whether she was lying allowed the plaintiff to raise factual questions about what happened so many years ago. Second, there was a claim under New York law regarding sexual abuse, and my general understanding is that statutes of limitation in that area have been greatly extended by state legislatures.

I know that civil lawyers regard trial by jury in civil cases as a great mystery. My own experience is that there is no greater procedural device for uncovering the truth than a jury.