Columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of raping her two decades ago, won a key victory on Thursday in her defamation suit against the president.

She is accusing Trump of hurting her reputation by accusing her of lying and otherwise attacking her.

The judge presiding over the case rejected Trump's argument that Carroll can't sue him in New York because he lives in Washington and denied Trump's motion to delay discovery.

The longtime advice columnist accused Trump of violently sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump has vigorously denied Carroll's allegations.

Carroll, who went public with her rape allegation against Trump last June, celebrated the development on Thursday, tweeting, "WE MOVE AHEAD!!"

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Columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of raping her two decades ago, won a key victory on Thursday in her defamation suit against the president.

The judge presiding over the case rejected Trump's argument that Carroll can't sue him in New York because he lives in Washington and denied Trump's motion to delay discovery.

"There is not even a tweet, much less an affidavit by defendant Trump in support of his motion," the judge wrote.

Carroll's lawyer, Roberta "Robbie" Kaplan, said she was "pleased, yet unsurprised" by the decision.

"We look forward to moving ahead and proving that Donald Trump lied when he told the world that he did not rape our client and had not even met her," Kaplan said in a statement.

Carroll, who went public with her rape allegation against Trump last June, celebrated the development on Thursday, tweeting, "WE MOVE AHEAD!!"

The longtime advice columnist accused Trump of violently sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. She accused him of "lunging" at her, forcibly kissing her, and forcing his penis inside her.

Trump has aggressively denied the allegation and claimed never to have even met Carroll, though a photo shows the two chatting at a party a few years before the alleged assault. The president accused Carroll of using the story to sell her memoir and insulted her by saying she wasn't his "type."

Carroll's suit alleges that Trump hurt her reputation with tweets and other statements accusing her of lying and otherwise attacking her.

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham previously told Insider that "the lawsuit is frivolous and the story is a fraud — just like the author."

Trump is facing another defamation suit from an ex-Apprentice contestant, Summer Zervos, who was one of several women to accuse him of sexual misconduct in the days leading up to the 2016 election, saying he groped her twice during a business meeting in 2007. Trump denied the allegation, calling her claims "fake news."

Ashley Collman contributed reporting.