Trump Set to Appear for Deposition in Defamation Lawsuit Former President Donald Trump (Getty)
By Charlie McCarthy | Wednesday, 19 October 2022 09:07 AM EDT
Former President Donald Trump is expected to sit for a deposition Wednesday as part of the defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who has accused him of raping her in the 1990s, multiple news outlets reported.
A federal judge last week denied Trump's request to delay the deposition while a key question about the suit was considered on appeal.
It is not clear if Trump, under oath, will answer questions from Carroll’s attorney, CNN reported, though The New York Times said that Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, insisted her client was "ready and eager to sit" for questioning.
The deposition is expected to take place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the Times reported.
Former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her at the department store Bergdorf Goodman. Trump responded by saying he had never met Carroll, that she was "totally lying" and that she was not his "type."
Carroll sued Trump saying his statements had harmed her reputation. She was scheduled to sit for her deposition last Friday.
Carroll has said she intends to sue Trump next month under a new New York State law that allows victims of sexual assault to file a civil lawsuit years after the statutes of limitations had expired.
The former president's testimony in the defamation case could be used in a future lawsuit.
Habba last month asked Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan to delay the deposition while a key question about the suit was considered on appeal.
Habba argued that Trump's denial came in response to reporters' questions while he was at the White House. Trump and the Justice Department argued the DOJ should be substituted as the defendant, which would end the lawsuit because the government cannot be sued for defamation.
Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the request on Oct. 12, finding that Trump had litigated the case "with the effect and probably the purpose of delaying it," the Times reported. The trial is scheduled for Feb. 6.
"This 'Ms. Bergdorf Goodman' case is a complete con job, and our legal system in this Country, but especially in New York State (just look at Peekaboo James), is a broken disgrace,” Trump said in a statement after Kaplan denied his request to delay.
"You have to fight for years, and spend a fortune, in order to get your reputation back from liars, cheaters, and hacks."