ROSE GAL PUT ON SPOT

Credibility key: judge

A California judge has put the credibility of the woman accusing Knicks guard Derrick Rose of rape at the forefront of her upcoming civil trial.

“Whether she did or did not have a motive to lie is the heart of the case. It’s the entire case,” Los Angeles federal Judge Michael Fitzgerald said at a pre-trial hearing Thursday.

Her credibility “is something for the jury to decide,” Fitzgerald said while hearing arguments about the admissibility of evidence.

He also issued a gag order and reaffirmed that the 30-year-old woman’s name will be revealed in court next week.

The judge said the use of a pseudonym at trial would unfairly prejudice Rose (inset) by making the woman look like a victim before jurors heard all the evidence.

“My concern is what the jury thinks,” Fitzgerald said.

So far, the accuser has only been identified as Jane Doe in court papers. Her lawyers had argued that naming her would subject her to public harassment and ridicule.

Rose’s side countered that Doe was hiding behind a veil of anonymity while launching a “nationwide media blitz on the eve of trial” by conducting telephone interviews with reporters.

Last week the judge issued a written ruling on the matter saying, “Although plaintiff’s need for a pseudonym has not vanished, the prejudice to defendant Rose and the public’s interest in disclosure together weigh against allowing Plaintiff to proceed under a pseudonym at trial.”

The trial is expected to start on Oct. 4 and run for at least a week.

On Thursday, Doe’s attorneys said witness statements claiming she admitted fabricating the rape claim to extract a settlement from Rose are inadmissible hearsay.

Rose’s potential witnesses include a former roommate, Claudia Carleo, who said in a deposition that there was no commotion on the night of the alleged assault and Doe was “smiling” the next morning.

But Doe’s lawyer points out that Carleo also testified that Doe later showed her a bloody blanket.

Fitzgerald seemed to disagree, saying Doe would be able to take the witness stand to counter the statements. He said he would rule on the admissibility question in the coming days.

Doe claims that in 2013 then-Chicago Bull Rose and two friends gang raped her while she was unconscious. Rose and his pals say the sex was consensual.