(New York) One of the women accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault withdrew her defamation complaint against the former U.S. president while upholding her allegations for facts dating back to 2007, judicial sources learned Friday .
Summer Zervos is a former contestant on the reality show The Apprentice of which Donald Trump has long been the presenter. In January 2017, just before Mr. Trump entered the White House, Mr.me Zervos had filed a civil libel complaint against the businessman because he had called her a “liar”.
Mr. Trump has always denied it, but Mr.me Zervos accused him of having groped and forcibly kissed her in 2007 in a hotel in Los Angeles.
“All complaints are dropped,” reads a New York State Supreme Court court document dated Friday and signed by lawyers for both sides.
“After five years (of procedure), Mr.me Zervos no longer wishes to have a dispute with the accused (Donald Trump) and has ensured the right to speak freely about his experience, ”said the plaintiff’s lawyers, Moira Penza and Beth Wilkinson.
They specified that their client “maintained her accusations and had not accepted any financial compensation”.
On the side of the former US president, his lawyer Alina Habba described Summer Zervos’ decision as “prudent”. “She had no other choice, because it was obvious that on the basis of the incriminated facts our client had done nothing wrong,” said the lawyer.
Neither party has explained why Mr.me Zervos dropped his defamation claim.
In total, around twenty women have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault or harassment in recent years.
In addition to Summer Zervos, columnist E. Jean Carroll accuses the ex-real estate mogul of having raped her in a fitting room of a New York department store in the mid-1990s. former president in New York court for defamation.
Mr. Trump, who has denied all of the allegations, has never faced criminal prosecution for the long-barred charges.