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Former ‘Apprentice’ Contestant Files Defamation Suit Against Trump Former ‘Apprentice’ Contestant Files Defamation Suit Against Trump
(about 4 hours later)
A former contestant on “The Apprentice” who accused Donald J. Trump of sexual assault during the presidential race filed a lawsuit against him on Tuesday alleging that he defamed her when he accused her of fabricating the assault. A former contestant on “The Apprentice” who accused Donald J. Trump of sexual assault during the presidential race filed a lawsuit against him on Tuesday alleging that Mr. Trump defamed her when he claimed that she fabricated the assault.
Summer Zervos and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Los Angeles, days before Mr. Trump is set to enter the White House.Summer Zervos and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Los Angeles, days before Mr. Trump is set to enter the White House.
During the campaign, more than 10 women accused Mr. Trump of inappropriate sexual contact. Mr. Trump denied every allegation.During the campaign, more than 10 women accused Mr. Trump of inappropriate sexual contact. Mr. Trump denied every allegation.
Many of the women said they were inspired to tell their stories to the news media after Mr. Trump was caught on tape boasting of groping and kissing women without their consent and then denied, during a presidential debate, ever engaging in that behavior. When Ms. Zervos made her claim in October, saying that Mr. Trump had kissed and groped her without her consent during encounters at his office in New York and at a hotel in Los Angeles, Mr. Trump said he never met her “at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately,” and accused Ms. Zervos and other women of lying, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court.
When Ms. Zervos made her claim in October, saying that Mr. Trump had kissed and groped her without her consent during encounters at his office in New York and a hotel in Los Angeles, Mr. Trump was quick to deny it. He said he “never met [Ms. Zervos] at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately,” and accused Ms. Zervos and other women who accused him of sexual misconduct of lying, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court. “But it was Donald Trump who was lying when he falsely denied his predatory misconduct with Summer Zervos, and derided her for perpetrating a ‘hoax’ and making up a ‘phony’ story to get attention,” the lawsuit says. “Donald Trump lied again, and again, and again, and again. In doing so, he used his national and international bully pulpit to make false factual statements to denigrate and verbally attack Ms. Zervos and the other women.”
“But it was Donald Trump who was lying when he falsely denied his predatory misconduct with Summer Zervos, and derided her for perpetrating a ‘hoax’ and making up a ‘phony’ story to get attention,” the lawsuit says. “Donald Trump lied again, and again, and again, and again. In doing so, he used his national and international bully pulpit to make false actual statements to denigrate and verbally attack Ms. Zervos and other women who publicly reported his sexual assaults in October 2016.” It went on to say that “Mr. Trump knew that his false, disparaging statements would be heard and read by people around the world, and that these women, including Summer Zervos, would be subjected to threats of violence, economic harm, and reputational damage.”
“Mr. Trump knew that his false, disparaging statements would be heard and read by people around the world, and that these women, including Summer Zervos, would be subjected to threats of violence, economic harm, and reputational harm.” Ms. Allred sought to compare the lawsuit to the sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, against President Bill Clinton in 1994.
Ms. Allred has sought to compare the lawsuit to the sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, against President Bill Clinton in 1994. She pointed out that if this case moves forward, Mr. Trump could be deposed or asked to testify, and that if he lied under oath, it would provide Congress with cause to impeach him. In that civil case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a sitting president could be sued for actions that were said to have happened before his taking office. Ms. Allred pointed out that if the defamation case moves forward, Mr. Trump could be deposed or asked to testify, and that if he were to lie under oath, it would be grounds for Congress to impeach him, as happened with Mr. Clinton.
If it got to a point where Mr. Trump did not testify truthfully under oath in this case, she said, “Then I think Congress will have a very important decision to make.”
Ms. Zervos kept her comments at the news conference brief, saying that Mr. Trump had left her with no choice but to take legal action and that she would press forward until he acknowledged that she told the truth.
Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, was quick to brush off the lawsuit, saying in an email that “there is no truth to this absurd story.”
“More of the same from Gloria Allred,” Ms. Hicks added.
Ms. Allred has been involved in a variety of cases over the years in which women have accused high-profile men of sexual harassment, assault and other wrongdoing. When numerous women came forward last year to accuse Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct, Ms. Allred agreed to represent several of them, organizing news conferences where they could speak out. Ms. Allred said she had not had any communication with Mr. Trump or his lawyers about Ms. Zervos.
Like other accusers, Ms. Zervos said she was inspired to share her story publicly after Mr. Trump was caught on tape bragging to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women, and then, in a presidential debate, denied ever engaging in such behavior.
The lawsuit states that during the campaign, Mr. Trump described “Ms. Zervos’s experience, along with those of others, as ‘made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED;’ ‘100% fabricated and made-up charges;’ ‘totally false;’ ‘totally phoney [sic] stories, 100% made up by women (many already proven false).’ ‘made up stories and lies;’ ‘[t]otally made up nonsense.’” He also threatened to sue his accusers.
“In his effort to win the Presidency and counter the damage to his election prospects caused by his own recorded words with Billy Bush,” the lawsuit says, “Mr. Trump knowingly, intentionally and maliciously threw each and every one of these women under the bus, with conscious disregard of the impact that repeatedly calling them liars would have upon their lives and reputations.”
The case alleges emotional harm and economic damage, but Ms. Allred said the purpose of the lawsuit was not financial. The goal, she said, was to get Mr. Trump to admit that he lied when he said Ms. Zervos fabricated her allegation. If Mr. Trump made such an admission, she said, Ms. Zervos would drop her case.
Ms. Allred said Ms. Zervos had already submitted to a polygraph test that would help prove she was telling the truth. She also said that Ms. Zervos has not received any outside financial support for her case.
When asked about the timing of lawsuit, Ms. Allred pointed out that it was being filed nearly two months after she and Ms. Zervos had first demanded that Mr. Trump retract his comments about her or face consequences.
“We have given him two months,” she said. “Time’s up.”
“Why now?” she said. “My answer would be why not now?”