President Clinton cancelled an evening out with his wife, Hillary, in a Washington restaurant after a gruelling six-hour session with the lawyers of Ms Paula Jones, who accuses him of sexual harassment and claims damages and an apology.
Ms Jones sat facing Mr Bill Clinton in the 11th floor office of his lawyer, Mr Bob Bennett, but was not allowed to question him. It is the first time in the history of the US that a sitting President has had to give testimony as a defendant in a court case.
Judge Susan Webber Wright, who will hear the civil action case when it goes to trial in Little Rock, the Arkansas state capital, next May was also present for Mr Clinton's videotaped testimony, not all of which may be allowed in court. The judge has imposed a gag order on lawyers concerning the depositions of the President, Ms Jones and other witnesses who have already been called.
But her lawyers have already indicated that they are seeking to establish that Mr Clinton from his time as governor of Arkansas had a pattern of sexual behaviour relevant to Ms Jones's claim. They say they have obtained such testimony from other women.
CBS News reported that the lengthy and politically embarrassing interrogation of Mr Clinton included questions based on the depositions of four women who said he made sexual advances to them over the years, including a former White House aide.
Ms Jones alleges that on May 8th, 1991, when she was an employee of the state of Arkansas, the then state governor, Mr Clinton, called her to his hotel room, exposed himself and asked for oral sex.
Ms Jones says she is able to identify "distinguishing characteristics" of Mr Clinton's private anatomy, descriptions that the president's legal team deny as a "sham".
Mr Clinton denies the charge and has said that he has no recollection of ever meeting Ms Jones. But the Washington Post, citing "sources familiar with the case", reported on Saturday that he will not contest the account of state trooper, Mr Danny Ferguson, that he escorted Ms Jones to his room. Mr Ferguson has also claimed that it was Ms Jones who sought to meet Governor Clinton.
This could indicate that Mr Clinton's defence will be that while he cannot recall meeting Ms Jones, if there was a meeting, it was at her request and therefore there are no grounds to her claim of sexual harassment and violation of her civil rights.
Ms Jones claims that as a result of her rebuffing Mr Clinton's sexual advance, she suffered emotional distress and unfavourable treatment in her job.
A CNN/Time poll published at the weekend shows that half of those questioned think Ms Jones's version of the events is false and only one-third believe her. Two out of three respondents have an unfavourable opinion of her.
Mr Clinton's ratings remain at almost a record high for him with 59 per cent approving his performance as President.
While Ms Jones and her lawyers were photographed later on Saturday in a restaurant beside the White House celebrating with champagne, the President was back at work being briefed on the Asian financial crisis and preparing for his State of the Union address.
An aide said the President cancelled the evening out because he had had "a long day". The Clinton scrapped their dinner plans at the last minute, choosing instead to spend the evening at home in the White House.
Mr Clinton's difficult day began on Saturday morning when his cavalcade of official cars with Secret Service agents travelled the two blocks from the White House to the offices of his lawyer. The President avoided the crowd of American and international media by entering the building through a basement garage.
Ms Jones, who arrived 15 minutes earlier, was mobbed by camera crews and reporters when she got out of her taxi accompanied by her lawyers. Plans for her to talk to the media had to be abandoned as she was rushed inside the building to escape what was called the "media feeding frenzy".
Hounded by the press into the lobby of her hotel afterward, Jones ignored shouted questions as she waited for an elevator and was relieved when it arrived.
Ms Jones's lawyers said yesterday that she would still like to settle her claim out of court if the President apologised for his behaviour and paid damages. Her attorney, Mr Jim Fisher, said that they did not want the President "to grovel" but there would have to be an apology.
On the question of damages, the attorneys deny reports that Ms Jones now seeks $2 million (£1.3 million) compared with an initial claim for $750,000. But Mr Fisher has refused to nominate the latest figure.
Ms Susan Carpenter-McMillan, who has been acting as Ms Jones's spokeswoman, brushed aside the poll showing more Americans tend to believe Mr Clinton.
"It doesn't really matter to Paula who believes her, except the people she brought the lawsuit for - her family, her friends. . .so they would know the real truth," Ms Carpenter-McMillan said.