NEW YORK — A columnist can proceed with lawsuits alleging she was raped by former President Donald Trump in a department store a quarter century ago, a federal judge ruled Friday, upholding a temporary New York state law letting adult victims of sexual abuse sue their abusers.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said lawsuits alleging rape and defamation and seeking unspecified damages by writer E. Jean Carroll could proceed to trial because Trump's challenges were without merit.
"The fact that Mr. Trump denies Ms. Carroll's allegations does not enter into the analysis at this stage of the case," the Manhattan jurist wrote. "What, if anything, actually occurred must await further proceedings if the complaint withstands the present motion."
