Washington – President-elect Donald Trump has been ordered by a federal judge to sit for testimony next week. defamation suit Against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Magistrate Judge Lisette Reed issued the order Friday saying Trump must testify in person next week as part of a lawsuit he filed against ABC News in March alleging Stephanopoulos made defamatory comments on air.
In an interview with Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina on March 10, Stephanopoulos said that Trump “had been found liable for rape.”
Last year, a jury in New York Trump found liable for sexual assault Author E. Jean Carroll and defaming her by making statements refuting Carroll's allegations. The judge hearing the case said that the sexual abuse for which Trump was found liable – forcibly penetrating Carroll with his fingers – was commonly understood as “rape” Even though the statute defines it as a separate crime.
In his complaint, Trump accused Stephanopoulos of acting “with actual malice or with reckless disregard for the truth” and claimed Stephanopoulos “knew that these statements were clearly and unequivocally false.”
Judge Reed said Trump's testimony will take place in person next week in the Southern District of Florida, where his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach is located. The questioning will be limited to four hours, Reid said.
Reed also ordered Stephanopoulos to testify in person or remotely next week. His testimony is also limited to four hours.
Shawna Mizell And
Contributed to this report.