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On Friday, a federal judge rejected former president\u00a0Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0motion to dismiss a civil sexual assault lawsuit\u2014in which writer\u00a0E. Jean Carroll<\/strong> accused Trump of raping her<\/a> in the mid-1990s in a Manhattan department store\u2014and\u00a0unsealed excerpts of their depositions, which are nothing short of shocking.\u00a0<\/p>\n In his deposition, the former president seemingly misconstrued what Carroll said in a June 2019 interview with\u00a0Anderson Cooper<\/strong>, in which she described trying not to call her encounter with Trump a \u201crape\u201d because\u00a0\u201cI think most people think of rape as being sexy.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe actually indicated that she loved it. Okay?\u201d Trump said in the deposition. \u201cIn fact, I think she said it was sexy, didn\u2019t she? She said it was very sexy to be raped.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Carroll\u2019s lawyer then clarified, \u201cSo, sir, I just want to confirm: It\u2019s your testimony that E. Jean Carroll said that she loved being sexually assaulted by you?\u201d Trump replied, \u201cWell, based on her interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe that\u2019s what took place.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has consistently denied the incident took place and denied knowing the former\u00a0Elle<\/em> advice columnist\u2014despite the fact that\u00a0the pair appeared in a photo together<\/a>. \u201cShe\u2019s accusing me of rape, a woman that I have no idea who she is.\u00a0It came out of the blue<\/a>. She\u2019s accusing me of raping her, the worst thing you can do, the worst charge,\u201d Trump said. He also described the writer as a \u201cnut job<\/a>\u201d and \u201cmentally sick<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Carroll\u00a0sued Trump<\/a> on November 24 for battery (she also sued Trump in\u00a02019 for defamation<\/a>) under the Adult Survivors Act (ASA). In May 2022,\u00a0New York passed the ASA<\/a>, which offers sexual assault survivors an opportunity to pursue\u00a0civil action in New York, even if the statute of limitations has expired.<\/p>\n In a motion to dismiss the case, Trump\u2019s legal team argued that the ASA violates the right to due process and, thus a violation of New York\u2019s constitution.\u00a0<\/p>\n In his opinion,\u00a0Judge\u00a0Lewis Kaplan<\/strong> said Trump\u2019s argument was \u201cabsurd<\/a>,\u201d explaining that \u201cthe New York Legislature long has recognized the problem created by what it characterized as a \u2018culture of silence\u2019 and the existence of comparatively short limitations periods for bringing civil and criminal actions for sexual assaults and other sexual offenses.\u201d Judge Kaplan also made parts of the transcript public,\u00a0despite Trump\u2019s objections<\/a>.<\/p>\n