'Apprentice' Contestant's Defamation Case Against Trump Will Be Tried In New York Court of Appeals

A defamation lawsuit filed by a former contestant of the show "The Apprentice" is going to the New York state's highest court, according to Reuters.

What Happened

New York state's highest court will decide if President Trump must be sued for defamation of the former “Apprentice” contestant who earlier brought sexual assault allegations against Trump.

The court will consider whether to dismiss the case or delay it until the next U.S. presidential election in November 2020.

On Tuesday, Appellate Division in Manhattan, an intermediate-level court, allowed President Trump to ask the New York Court of Appeals — the highest judicial body in the state – to review whether its 3-2 decision last March allowing Summer Zervos to sue him was correct.

“We believe that the Court of Appeals will agree that the U.S. Constitution bars state court actions while the President is in office,” said Benson, Torres, a spokeswoman for Trump’s law firm, responding to the court's decision. 

Why It Matters

In 2016, Summer Zervos, a contestant on Trump's 2005 reality television show "The Apprentice, accused Trump of kissing her without her consent on two separate occasions in 2007. 

Later in 2017, she filed a defamation lawsuit against President Trump for calling her a liar after she had brought sexual assault allegations against Trump.

Responding to the intermediate court’s decision on Tuesday, Zervos’ attorney, Beth Wilkinson, said, “We remain confident that we will prove her defamation claim in court and that Mr. Trump will face responsibility for his actions.”

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