A lawyer for Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that the former president is unlikely to attend a civil trial next week in which a columnist has accused him of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.
Attorney Joe Tacopina asked the judge who will preside over the trial starting Tuesday if he would tell jurors that Trump's absence was designed to avoid logistical burdens that New York City and the court system would face if Trump were present.
