Trump deposed in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

Former President Donald Trump answered questions under oath Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused Trump of defamation for saying she was "totally lying" about a sexual assault allegation.

Carroll's attorneys confirmed Trump attended the deposition.

"We're pleased that on behalf of our client, E. Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump's deposition today. We are not able to comment further," a spokesperson for Kaplan Hecker & Fink, the law firm representing Carroll, told CBS News.

Trump had sought to delay the deposition after a federal appeals court in September left open the possibility that the Justice Department might be able to shield Trump from the suit. But a federal judge in New York refused to delay the case, ordering Trump on Oct. 12 to sit Wednesday for the high-stakes deposition.

Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, said that Trump "was pleased to set the record straight today."

"This case is nothing more than a political ploy like many others in the long list of witch hunts against Donald Trump," Habba said.

Trump was questioned by lawyers for Carroll, who have indicated in court filings that the deposition may be used in another civil suit they say Carroll intends to file in November, a sexual assault claim against Trump.

Carroll will be able to pursue the lawsuit as of Nov. 24, when a new state law called the Adult Survivors Act creates a one-year window allowing sexual assault claims that would otherwise be barred by New York's statute of limitations.

Carroll, a longtime Elle advice columnist, filed the federal defamation suit in 2019 after Trump accused her of lying when she said he sexually assaulted her in a high-end New York City department store in the 1990s.

Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll's allegations.

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