Court Rejects Trump’s Attempt to Block Defamation Suit From O.C. ‘Apprentice’ Contestant Who Accused Him of Sexual Assault

From left to right: Summer Zervos, Orange County woman and former “Apprentice” contestant, arrives to New York County Criminal Court on Dec. 5, 2017, in New York. (Credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images) Donald Trump attends the Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 14, 2019. (Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP/ Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Mar 14, 2019 / 12:02 PM PDT

Updated: Mar 14, 2019 / 04:13 PM PDT

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A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected President Trump’s attempt to block the defamation suit of an Orange County woman who says he lied during the 2016 campaign about sexually assaulting her at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The 3-to-2 ruling by the New York appellate court enables Summer Zervos, a former contestant on “The Apprentice,” to press forward toward a Manhattan trial of her allegation that Trump defamed her by branding her a liar in the weeks before he was elected president.

Trump’s legal team argued that the U.S. Constitution immunizes him from state court lawsuits arising from his private conduct before he took office.

The court disagreed, opening the way for Trump to be deposed about what Zervos says was a sexual assault in his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007.

Read the full story at LATimes.com.