A woman who claimed US President-elect Donald Trump kissed and groped her against her will has filed a defamation lawsuit. If the case goes to trial, it could lead to the release of damaging information about Trump.
Image: Reuters/M. Blake
Advertisement
A former reality television contestant who accused Donald Trump of making unwanted sexual advances filed a defamation lawsuit against the president-elect on Tuesday, days before his inauguration.
Summer Zervos (pictured), a former contestant on Trump's "The Apprentice" television show, alleges Trump lied and made false statements about her in tweets, statements and rallies. The lawsuit says Trump is a "liar and misogynist" who has "debased and denigrated Zervos with false statements about her."
Zervos and more than a dozen other women came out in the weeks before the November 8 election claiming Trump had made unwanted sexual advances. The allegations arose after a 2005 video surfaced of Trump bragging about groping women. Trump later apologized for comments made in the video, calling his choice of words "locker room talk."
Zervos claimed Trump tried to kiss her without consent at his New York office in 2007 and later kissed and groped her and tried to get her to lie on a bed at a meeting at a Beverly Hills hotel about a possible job.
Trump has denied he ever made sexual advances on Zervos or the other women. He accused Zervos and the other women of lying and fabricating stories in order to gain attention. On the campaign trail, Trump threatened to sue the women who made the claims, but he has so far not taken any legal action.
"All of these liars will be sued after the election is over," Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania in October.
Trump told a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, after Zervos made the allegations that it was "not hard to find a small handful of people willing to make false smears for personal fame - who knows maybe for financial reasons, political purposes," according to the lawsuit.
"Mr. Trump's false, defamatory statements about Ms. Zervos - that, among other things, she made up her descriptions of Mr. Trump's misconduct as a hoax, and that she is creating a 'phony' story just so that she can be famous - have been deeply detrimental to Ms. Zervos's reputation, honor and dignity," the lawsuit stated.
Zervos's attorney Gloria Allred said at a press conference that her client had taken a lie detector test. She said Zervos would drop the lawsuit if Trump retracts his statements and apologizes. Otherwise, if the case goes to trial, she would seek unspecified compensation.
Responding to the lawsuit, Trump's spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said there was "no truth to this absurd story."
The lawsuit, if it goes to trial, raises the possibility Trump may have to give a deposition. It may also lead to the release of previously undisclosed documents and outtake videos from 14 seasons of "The Apprentice."
"We would certainly seek any and all information and documents, recordings, et cetera, which may be relevant to the litigation of our lawsuit," Allred said.
Trump: Mogul, populist, president
Already a real estate magnate, best-selling author and reality TV star, Donald Trump is about to become the 45th US president. Often regarded as an outlandish, comic figure, Trump will soon move into the White House.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The family, the empire
Surrounded by the ones he loves, Donald Trump with his wife, Melania, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, his sons Eric and Donald, Jr., and grandchildren Kai and Donald John III. His three eldest children are senior vice presidents in the Trump organization.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
From millionaire to billionaire
This picture from 1984 shows Trump opening Harrah's at Trump Plaza, a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's one of the investments that helped turn Trump, already a millionaire thanks to cash from his father, into a billionaire.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/M. Lederhandler
Off to a good start
Trump inherited the money he used to launch his real estate empire from his father, Frederick. He gave his son a million dollars to start and then, upon his death, left Donald and his three siblings $400 million.
Image: imago/ZUMA Press
What's in a name? Billions.
Donald Trump aggressively invested the money and experienced the market's highs and lows. Long-term success came thanks to Trump Tower in New York City. Trump has said he's worth some $10 billion, but he has not released financial information to prove the claim. Experts estimate he's worth about a third of that.
Image: Getty Images/D. Angerer
"Very good, very smart"
That's what Trump had to say about himself. He studied at the renowned Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor's degree.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B.J. Harpaz
Captain Trump
Before college, Trump was sent to a military academy at the age of 13 to learn discipline. By the time he graduated, he had earned an officer's rank at the academy. During his campaign for president, he said he enjoyed the school's structure and military culture.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/
Heel spurs instead of Vietnam
Despite the military education, Trump did not serve in the Vietnam War. He received four deferments while studying and a fifth for bone spurs in his heels. Trump will be the first US president to enter the White House without having previously served in a public office or the military.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Wife number one: Ivana
In 1977, Trump married Ivana Zelnuickova of what was then Czechoslovakia. The pair had three children together, Donald John, Jr., Ivanka Marie and Eric Fredrick. The marriage, however, was plagued with rumors of extra-marital affairs and ended in 1990. Ivana was the one who created Trump's nickname "The Donald."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Swerzey
Family number two
Trump later married his second wife, Marla Maples. Maples gave birth to their daughter Tiffany in 1993.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/J. Minchillo
Girls, girls, girls
Trump seemed to enjoy being photographed with women other than his wife by his side. He often visited beauty pageants and posed with young models. From 1996 to 2015, he owned part of all the Miss Universe pageants. Trump would later come under fire for an audio recording of him saying his fame allowed him to grope women without fearing consequences.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Lemm
The Art of the Deal
How do you make a quick million? Trump's best-seller "The Art of the Deal," which was part autobiography, part instruction manual for ambitious businessmen, tried to show readers the way. Already well-known, the book solidified Trump's spot in the public spotlight.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Schwalm
Mixing business and entertainment
Like no other, Trump knew how to grab the public's attention, as seen here in a show for "World Wrestling Entertainment." His unique blend of business and entertainment acumen met in the reality TV show "The Apprentice" where candidates were hired and fired. Trump's favorite line from the show: "You're fired!"
Image: Getty Images/B. Pugliano
Trump's move into politics
Though he had previously had very little contact with governing or politics, Trump announced his presidential candidacy on July 16, 2015. He used "Make America Great Again" as a political slogan and during his election campaign insulted immigrants, Muslims, women and everyone running against him.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Lane
Off to Washington
Whether the showman morphs into a statesman will be seen over Trump's four years in the White House. Views are split as he prepares to take office. But if his life so far is anything to go by, there is no telling what will be next.
