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Former President Donald Trump denied sexually assaulting former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll and said he never pressured a woman to have sex with him in a deposition transcript that was unsealed Friday.
“But it’s a false accusation. Never happened. Never would,” Trump said of Carroll’s allegation that Trump raped her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. He went on to criticize Carroll as a “nut job” in his testimony.
Earlier Friday, Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered portions of Trump’s deposition in the defamation lawsuit brought by Carroll to be unsealed, denying Trump’s request to keep it out of the public domain.
Carroll first sued Trump in 2019 for defamation after he denied her rape allegation. She filed a second lawsuit against Trump in November under a new law that allowed her to sue for battery even though the statute of limitations on the crime had passed and she included the October statement that she says was also defamatory.
Trump acknowledged in testimony that he wrote and posted the October 2022 statement on Truth Social, the social media platform he uses. In the statement Trump said Carroll’s allegations are a “con job” and “a big fat hoax.” In his deposition, he reiterated previous comments that he didn’t know Carroll and that she isn’t his type.
What this defamation attorney thinks could have happened in Trump’s deposition
Trump said that while it is not “politically correct” to say she isn’t his type, he said he had to defend himself. He added that it wasn’t meant to be an insult.
“Because I was offended at this woman’s lie. Because I was offended that she could make up a story out of cold air,” Trump testified to explain why he issued the statement in October.
He called it a “great statement.”
Trump threatened to sue Carroll’s attorneys who represent other clients in lawsuits brought against Trump.
When asked if he ever kissed a woman without her consent, Trump testified, “Well, I don’t… I can’t think of any complaints. But no. I mean, I don’t think so.” He also denied every touching a woman’s breasts or buttocks.
Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan asked Trump, “Have you ever pressured a woman to engage in sex with you?”
“The answer is no. But you may have some people like your client who are willing to lie,” Trump testified.
Also Friday, Judge Kaplan denied Trump’s motion to dismiss Carroll’s lawsuit.
“Mr. Trump’s arguments as to both of Ms. Carroll’s claims for relief are without merit,” the judge wrote in his opinion.
In a motion to dismiss filed in December, Trump claimed that the New York law, the Adult Survivors Act, ran afoul of the state constitution’s due process protections.
In his opinion the judge cited a previous ruling that determined as long as a claim-revival statute is “a reasonable measure to address an injustice,” it is compatible with the state’s due process clause. “The answer is obvious,” he said.
Trump’s December motion also called the additional defamation claim Carroll is bringing in the lawsuit “baseless and legally defective.”
The judge wrote that Trump’s argument “falls short,” adding that Carroll has “sufficiently pleaded” the requirements of that claim.
“While we are disappointed with the Court’s decision, we intend to immediately appeal the order and continue to advocate for our client’s constitutionally protected rights,” Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement.
“We are pleased though not surprised that Judge Kaplan denied Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss and upheld the constitutionality of New York’s Adult Survivors Act,” Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said in a statement. “We look forward to trial in April.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
