Donald Trump’s attorneys are arguing that he should be granted a new trial in the case brought against him by E Jean Carroll, which saw him found guilty of defaming the former magazine columnist after she accused him of sexual assault and ordered to pay $83.3m by a New York jury in January.

       In a new court filing, lawyers for Mr Trump are pusing for a fresh trial, arguing that the original’s verdict was “infected” by errors.

       They allege that Judge Lewis Kaplan did not allow the jury to consider Mr Trump’s testimony about his “state of mind” when he defamed Ms Carroll, which, his lawyers argue, “almost certainly influenced the jury’s verdict, and thus a new trial is warranted”.

       In other legal news, Mr Trump could be sued by his former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to recoup around $2m in unpaid legal fees, a step the ex-New York City mayor is reportedly reluctant to take but which could be insisted upon by his creditors.

       Elsewhere, the Republican cemented his dominance over the party’s presidential race on Super Tuesday and is projected to win all but one of the 15 states in contention, quashing rival Nikki Haley.