(New York) Former US President Donald Trump answered questions under oath on Wednesday in a libel lawsuit filed against him by former E. magazine columnist Jean Carroll.
Updated yesterday at 9:10 p.m.
Mme Carroll alleges she was sexually assaulted by Mr Trump in a store fitting room in the mid-1990s.
On Wednesday, the lawyers of Mme Carroll were able to question Mr. Trump about the allegations as well as about comments he made in 2019 when the story first came to light publicly.
No details have been made public so far about the conduct of Mr. Trump’s testimony.
“We are pleased to have been able to obtain today, on behalf of our client, the testimony of Donald Trump. We cannot comment further,” Kaplan Hecker & Fink said in a statement.
PHOTO LARRY NEUMEISTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
E. Jean Carroll, former magazine columnist She, claims that Mr. Trump’s statements have damaged his reputation in addition to undermining his credibility and image.
Donald Trump called the allegations of Mme Carroll of “hoax” and “lie”.
His lawyers have done everything to delay for years the recording of his testimony in this case which was filed while he was still president. Last week, a federal judge denied a petition from the Trump camp seeking a new delay. The judge ruled that he could no longer “prolong the wait for a plaintiff seeking redress for very serious allegations”.
Mr. Trump’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment about Wednesday’s deposition.
Mme Carroll was to be questioned by Mr. Trump’s lawyers last Friday. None of the lawyers on either side responded to questions about the conduct of this deposition.
It has not been revealed whether Donald Trump’s deposition was given in person or remotely via videoconference. He was in Florida on Wednesday as the lawsuit unfolds in a New York court.
Everything Donald Trump said during his testimony can potentially be used as evidence in a possible civil trial. He has never faced any criminal charges in connection with Ms.me Carroll. Such charges are quite unlikely since the statute of limitations has long since expired.
A statute of limitations also applies to civil lawsuits related to sexual misconduct, which is why Ms.me Carroll chose to sue Mr Trump for libel over his 2019 comments in which he denies any wrongdoing.
E. Jean Carroll claims that Mr. Trump’s statements have damaged his reputation in addition to undermining his credibility and his image.
Other civil lawsuits could, however, be filed against Mr. Trump by the Carroll camp since New York elected officials have granted a period of one year to any plaintiff to file a civil lawsuit on acts of a sexual nature for which the deadline is expired. This eligibility period must begin at the end of November.
According to the version of Mme Carroll, she is said to have stumbled across Mr. Trump in a Bergdorf Goodman store across from Trump Tower on 5e av. At the time, she hosted a TV show offering advice called “Ask E. Jean.”
She relates that the two struck up a friendly chat while she tried to help him find a gift. But when they were briefly alone in the fitting room, Donald Trump allegedly raped her.
In a recent statement, Mr. Trump reiterated that the case was “a total scam.”
“I don’t know this woman, I have no idea who she is, other than the fact that she seems to have a picture of me from many years ago with her husband, shaking hands in a benefit event,” Mr. Trump said.