A federal judge has rejected Donald Trump's defamation counterclaim against writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape. The judge, Lewis Kaplan, also granted permission for Carroll's lawyers to share Trump's deposition with the Manhattan District Attorney's office, potentially allowing his testimony to be used in the pending criminal case against him. District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. charged Trump with falsifying business records related to a 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels, with the trial scheduled for May.

Trump's counterclaim centred around Carroll's alleged damaging statements, following a jury decision to award her $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation in a related civil lawsuit. In the CNN interview, Carroll said jurors hadn't concluded Trump raped her, prompting his counteraction.

Judge Kaplan dismissed Trump’s counterclaim, which she said was "substantially true," because the jury found that Trump digitally penetrated Carroll, as common definitions of rape would suggest. That ruling clears the way for a focused trial ahead.

Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney, called the decision a welcome step toward a swift trial centred on Trump's original defamatory comments. Trump's attorney intends to appeal. During the case, Trump answered questions about his infamous "Access Hollywood" comments about women.