Judge lets writer’s rape lawsuit against Donald Trump go forward

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NEW YORK (AP) Questioned for a case, former President Donald Trump angrily insulted and threatened to sue the columnist who accused him of raping her in a department store in the 1990s, according to excerpts from his videotaped testimony that was unsealed by the court on Friday.

Portions of his 5 1/2-hour October deposition in a lawsuit filed by columnist E. Jean Carroll were made public after a federal judge denied his lawyers’ request that it remain sealed.

He said I did something to him that didn’t happen. You’re welcome. I don’t know anything about this nut job, he said, according to the transcript.

The excerpts show a contentious battle between Trump and Roberta Kaplan, an attorney for Carroll, who questioned him as Trump called the former longtime Elle magazine columnist the perpetrator of a complete scam that he described as the rape while she was promoting a really dirty book.

I’m going to sue him after this, and that’s what I’m really looking forward to doing. And I’m going to sue you too, he told Kaplan.

The release of excerpts from the deposition came the same day that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who is unrelated to the lawyer, also denied a request by Trump’s lawyers to throw out two lawsuits by Carroll alleging defamation. and rape. An April trial is planned.

Trump has repeatedly said the encounter with Carroll in the mid-1990s at an upscale Manhattan department store did not happen.

During his testimony, Trump repeatedly attacked Carroll’s portrayal of him as a rapist.

Trump said he knew it was politically incorrect to say he wasn’t my type when he responded to the claims shortly after Carroll’s book was published in 2019. The writer said Trump attacked him in a dressing room after they get a chance to meet at the store and she agrees to help him pick out underwear for a friend.

But Ill say it anyway, he said. She’s accusing me of rape, a woman that I have no idea who she is. It came out of the blue. She’s accusing me of raping her, the worst thing you can do, the worst charge.

Speaking to her attorney, he added: And you know it’s not true either. You are also a political operative. You are a disgrace. But he accuses me and you of rape, and it never happened.

At one point in the deposition, Trump called Carroll sick, mentally ill. He misrepresented an interview Carroll gave to CNN, falsely saying he talked about enjoying sexual assault. He really indicated that he loved her. okay? He loved it until the commercial break, Trump said. In fact, I think she said it is sexy, right? It’s very sexy to be raped. Didn’t he say that?

Kaplan, Carrolls lawyer, tried to tell Trump that he raped his client.

So, sir, I just want to confirm: Your testimony that E. Jean Carroll said she loved sexually assaulting you?

Trump replied: Well, based on his interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe that’s what happened. And we can define that. … I think she said that rape was sexy which its not, by the way.

What Carroll said in her writing, and in the interview with Cooper, is that she doesn’t want to use the word rape because other people think rape is sexy. He said he prefers the term fight.

At another point in the deposition, Kaplan asked Trump if he had ever touched a woman on her breast or bottom or any other sexual part without her consent.

“Well, I’d tell you no, but you might have some people like your client who are lying,” he responded.

Late Friday, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba released a statement, saying: While there is absolutely no need for unsealing a transcript that both parties have agreed to remain confidential, our client has nothing to hide and looks forward to solving this frivolous case.

Roberta Kaplan declined to comment on the release of deposition excerpts.

Kaplan, the Manhattan judge, on Friday upheld the lawsuits alleging rape and defamation and seeking unspecified damages by Carroll, saying they could proceed to trial because Trump’s challenges were without merit. .

The fact that Mr. Trump denied the allegations against Ms. Carrolls does not enter into the analysis at this stage of the case, the jury wrote. What, if anything, actually happened must await further litigation if the complaint is to survive the present motion.

Habba said in a statement: “While we are disappointed by the Court’s decision, we intend to immediately appeal the order and continue to advocate for our clients’ constitutionally protected rights.

In his ruling, the judge said the Adult Survivors Act is similar to the Child Victims Act, another New York state law that temporarily allows victims of childhood sexual assaults to sue their abusers years later.

Carroll initially sued Trump for defamation after he mocked her claims that he sexually assaulted her. Carroll accused Trump of the rape claim in November, when the Adult Survivor’s Act took effect.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, reproduced or distributed without permission.

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