Judge Upholds Lawsuit Alleging Former President Donald Trump Raped Columnist E. Jean Carroll in Mid-1990s Department Store Incident

A federal judge has ruled that a columnist can proceed with lawsuits alleging she was raped by former President Donald Trump in a department store a quarter century ago. The ruling upholds a temporary New York state law that allows adult victims of sexual abuse to sue their abusers.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said the lawsuits, which allege rape and defamation and seek unspecified damages by writer E. Jean Carroll, could proceed to trial because Trump’s challenges were without merit. In his deposition transcript, which was unsealed Friday, Trump denied sexually assaulting Carroll and said he never pressured a woman to have sex with him.

Judge Kaplan wrote that “the fact that Mr. Trump denies Ms. Carroll’s allegations does not enter into the analysis at this stage of the case. What, if anything, actually occurred must await further proceedings if the complaint withstands the present motion.”

Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Trump in November under a new law that allows victims of sexual abuse to sue their abusers for up to six years after the alleged incident. She has accused Trump of raping her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied the allegations and referred to Carroll as a “nut job” in his deposition.

The case will now proceed to trial, where the allegations will be further examined. It is unclear when the trial will begin or what the outcome will be.