Judge says Trump can be deposed in former ‘Apprentice’ contestant’s lawsuit

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York authorities justice connected Monday gave erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump a Dec. 23 deadline to acquisition questioning successful a defamation suit filed by a erstwhile contestant connected “The Apprentice” aft helium denied her intersexual battle accusations.

Justice Jennifer Schecter of the New York authorities tribunal successful Manhattan said Trump indispensable taxable to a deposition, aft his lawyer said Trump planned to countersue his accuser, Summer Zervos, nether a authorities instrumentality designed to promote escaped speech.

Schecter ruled aft a league wherever the planned countersuit was announced, and lawyers for Trump and Zervos accused their opponents of stalling.

“He conscionable cannot hold this lawsuit immoderate longer,” Zervos’ lawyer Moira Penza said astatine the conference.

Zervos had sued Trump successful January 2017, but the lawsuit remains unresolved successful portion due to the fact that Trump argued portion successful the White House that a sitting president could not beryllium sued.

That contented became moot aft Joe Biden won the 2020 statesmanlike election, which made Trump a backstage citizen, New York’s highest tribunal ruled in March.

In a statement, Trump’s caller lawyer, Alina Habba, said the proceedings tribunal “made its presumption wide contiguous – Ms. Zervos indispensable comply with the court’s directive and nutrient each applicable and outstanding discovery. In the meantime, we volition beryllium vigorously defending the President against this frivolous lawsuit.”

Lawyers for Zervos were not instantly disposable for comment. Any deposition of Zervos indispensable besides hap by Dec. 23.

During the 2016 statesmanlike campaign, Zervos had accused Trump of subjecting her to unwanted kissing and groping erstwhile she sought vocation proposal successful 2007, 2 years aft her quality connected his world tv show.

She sued Trump aft helium called specified allegations by women “lies” and retweeted a station calling Zervos’ claims a “hoax.”

Zervos has sought a retraction oregon an apology, positive compensatory and punitive damages. Trump has denied Zervos’ claims and called her lawsuit politically motivated.

Habba said Trump would record a counterclaim nether New York’s “anti-SLAPP” law, which is meant to deter lawsuits designed to punish oregon harass defendants for speaking retired connected nationalist issues and was expanded past November to screen much speech.

SLAPP stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.”

Former Elle mag columnist E. Jean Carroll is besides suing Trump for defamation, aft helium denied having raped her successful a Manhattan section store successful the mid-1990s.

Trump has denied defaming Carroll, and resisted giving a deposition oregon providing DNA evidence. He has besides denied claims by respective different women of improper intersexual conduct.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel successful New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)