NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Attorneys for Donald Trump want to ban from his upcoming civil rape trial the 鈥淎ccess Hollywood鈥� tape in which the former president boasts graphically about how celebrities can molest women.
Trump attorneys Alina Habba and Michael Madaio filed papers in Manhattan federal court late Thursday seeking to block references to the 2005 taped encounter and the tape itself from an April trial stemming from the claims of longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
They called the tape 鈥渋rrelevant and highly prejudicial鈥� and said it might unjustly be used to suggest to jurors that Trump had a propensity for sexual assault and therefore must have raped Carroll. They also asked to prevent testimony from two women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct and to ban references to his campaign speeches.
Carroll, 79, after New York state to allow adult rape victims to sue their abusers, even if the attacks occurred decades ago. A trial is set for April 25, and Trump and Carroll are both expected to testify.
Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, 鈥淲hat Do We Need Men For?鈥� that Trump raped her in late 1995 or early 1996 in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury Manhattan department store.
Trump has , sometimes angrily, in public statements.
for the upcoming trial, Trump was dismissive of Carroll's claims, saying: 鈥淧hysically she's not my type,鈥� though he misidentified her as an ex-wife of his when he was shown a photograph.
Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, confronted him with claims that two dozen other women have made against him, asking if any are true.
"I would say. I mean, I don鈥檛 see any. I mean, you haven鈥檛 shown me anything,鈥� Trump responded, according to the transcript.
His answers might increase the relevance of lewd comments he made on the 鈥淎ccess Hollywood鈥� tape, which was revealed just weeks before he won the November 2016 presidential election.
In the tape, he said that sometimes when he sees beautiful women: 鈥淚 just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait.鈥� And he added that, 鈥淲hen you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,鈥� including grabbing women between their legs.
Afterward, he issued a rare apology, saying the comments were 鈥渓ocker room banter鈥� caught on a hot mic.
In excerpts of his deposition placed in the public record late Thursday, Trump said it's been largely true 鈥渙ver the last million years鈥� that celebrities can grab at women they find attractive. 鈥淯nfortunately or fortunately,鈥� he added.
鈥淎nd you consider yourself to be a star?鈥� Kaplan asked.
鈥淚 think you can say that, yeah,鈥� Trump responded.
In her lawsuit, Carroll said she had a chance encounter with Trump that escalated into playful banter as he asked her to help him pick out lingerie for a friend. She said they teased each other to try on a piece of lingerie and went into the dressing room, where Trump became violent and raped her.
Her lawyer declined to comment Friday.
Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
