A federal judge ordered that former President Trump sit for a deposition in the defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll, who claimed he raped her in the 1990s and damaged her reputation in 2019 when he denied the allegations.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected a request by Trump’s legal team that his testimony be delayed. His deposition is scheduled for October 19.
“The defendant should not be permitted to run the clock out on plaintiff’s attempt to gain a remedy for what allegedly was a serious wrong,” Kaplan wrote in a filing Wednesday.
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“We’re pleased that on behalf of our client, E. Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump’s deposition today,” a spokesperson for the firm, Kaplan, Hecker & Fink told Fox News on Wednesday. “We are not able to comment further.”
The decision comes in a lawsuit brought by Carroll, who is known for her “Ask E. Jean” column that ran in Elle Magazine. Carroll alleges that Trump raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a department store in New York City.
Carroll claims that Trump damaged her reputation in 2019 when he denied raping her.
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Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
“We look forward to establishing on the record that this case is, and always has been, entirely without merit,” Trump lawyer Alina Habba told Fox News Wednesday.
Carroll is set to be deposed on Friday.
“We are pleased that Judge Kaplan agreed with our position not to stay discovery in this case,” Carroll’s attorney Robbie Kaplan said. “We look forward to filing our case under the Adult Survivors Act and moving forward to trial with all dispatch.”
Separately, Trump appeared for a deposition in August as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation. Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, per the advice of his attorneys, during his deposition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
