Ex-'Apprentice' Contestant Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Trump for Denying Sexual Assault Claims
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A few days before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump is sued by former 'The Apprentice' contestant Summer Zervos for publicly denying the alleged sexual harassment towards her.

AceShowbiz - There's only a few days left before Donald Trump inauguration on Friday, January 20. However, the President-elect still has to face another unwanted sexual advances-related lawsuit. Former "The Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos filed a defamation lawsuit in a New York court against Trump for publicly denying the groping and kissing accusation towards her. She appeared with her attorney, Gloria Allred, on Tuesday morning, January 17.

At a Los Angeles news conference, the contestant on "The Apprentice" season 5, joined by her lawyer, announced the lawsuit. Allred, who previously has represented three other Trump's accusers, said that Zervos previously took and passed a lie-detector prior to her lawsuit, suggesting that the allegation is a truth.

Zervos' defamation suit rests on the claim that Trump defamed her with his denial. She also claimed Trump defamed her when he publicly accused her and other women, who made similar claims, of lying and fabricating the story. She said that she had "no alternative other than to sue him to vindicate" her reputation. In her suit, she said that she would drop her lawsuit without seeking financial damage if Trump retracts that public statements. She remarked, "Until he does retract, I will continue to speak out and tell the truth. The truth is always the right option, and will win out at the end."

Allred said, "It takes a great deal of courage to sue the most powerful man on the planet. Women are not a footnote to history. We value women who allege they have been the victims of injustice." She continued, "We would certainly seek any and all information and documents, recordings etc., which may be relevant to the litigation of our lawsuit. So, we'll have to see what the reaction of Mr. Trump's attorney will be to that. And we'll see what NBC decides if, as of when, they are served with a subpoena."

Zervos previously accused the then GOP nominee of inappropriate sexual conducts in 2007 during her job interview for a position at the Trump Organization at his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The complaint read, "Ms. Zervis was ambushed by Mr. Trump on more than one occasion. Mr. Trump suddenly, and without her consent, kissed her on her mouth repeatedly; he touched her breast; and he pressed his genitals up against her. Ms. Zervos never consented to any of this disgusting touching."

Trump denied her claims in October. He told PEOPLE, "I vaguely remember Ms. Zervos as one of the many contestants on 'The Apprentice' over the years. To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago. That is not who I am as a person, and it is not how I've conducted my life. In fact, Ms. Zervos continued to contact me for help, emailing my office on April 14 of this year asking that I visit her restaurant in California."

During his campaign, Trump addressed the sexual harassment accusations and said, "These are lies being pushed by the media and the Clinton campaign to try and keep their grip on our country. They are all false. They're totally invented, fiction, all 100 percent totally and completely fabricated. I never met this person, these people. I don't know who they are. I don't know who these people are. I look on television, I think it's a disgusting thing and it's being pushed. They have no witnesses. There's nobody around. They just come out--some are doing it for probably a little fame. They get some free fame. It's a total setup."

Later, he released a statement in which he said that Zervos' cousin, John Barry, was "completely shocked and bewildered" when he found out her allegations. In the statement, Barry stated that the accusation was an "attempt to regain the spotlight at Mr. Trumps' expense."

Trump further threatened all women who made sexual assault claims against him at a rally in Pennsylvania last October. He said as quoted by CNN, "All of these liars will be sued after the election is over."

An "Access Hollywood" audio recording which was leaked last year also prompted Zervos to file a defamation lawsuit. In the 2005 conversation, Trump told host Billy Bush that he could "just start kissing [women]. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."

During her appearance before reporters at her Los Angeles office, Allred revealed that she, Zervos and other women who accused Trump of similar claim are planning to attend the Women's March against Trump's inauguration in Washington this Saturday, January 21.

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