Summer Zervos revives sexual assault defamation case against Trump

Summer Zervos has sued the ex-president for calling her a 'liar' over her allegations

Summer Zervos revives sex assault case against Trump (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

A former contestant on The Apprentice who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault has asked a court to let her move forward with a lawsuit against the ex-president.

Summer Zervos claims that Mr Trump kissed her against her will at Trump Tower in New York in 2007 and later allegedly groped her in a California hotel.

She filed a defamation lawsuit in 2017 against Mr Trump after he branded her a liar over her allegations.

The former president tried to get the case dismissed on the grounds that states do not have jurisdiction over a sitting president, which was initially rejected by the state’s lower courts.

But her case was paused in March 2020 by New York state’s highest court, preventing her from obtaining evidence and even deposing Mr Trump.

But with Mr Trump having left office on 20 January, Ms Zervos wants her lawsuit to resume, and has asked for an earlier constitutional appeal made by Mr Trump to be dismissed.

"Defendant now is no longer President. As a result, Defendant's appeal is moot," said Ms Zervos's lawyer Beth Wilkinson in court papers filed with the New York Court of Appeals.

In the filing is is stated that Mr Trump “does not oppose Ms Zervos’s motion.

Ms Zervos is among 26 women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual misconduct, which he has strongly denied claiming the women are all liars.

Ms Zervos has alleged that she reached out to Mr Trump in 2007 after her appearance on The Apprentice, looking for career advice and a job opportunity.

She says that after he invited her to his office at Trump Tower he twice kissed her on the lips, but also said he would love for her to work for him.

And she claims that later she agreed to have dinner with Mr Trump at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California.

Ms Zervos alleges that the ex-president's security guard took her to a bungalow where she claims Mr Trump touched her breast and pressed his genitals against her.

She has not sued Mr Trump for sexual assault as the statute of limitations has passed for that alleged offence.