Judge says Trump may be impeached in trial of former ‘apprentice’ candidate

NEW YORK, Oct.4 (Reuters) – A New York state judge on Monday gave former US President Donald Trump a deadline for Dec. 23 to submit to questioning in a defamation lawsuit filed by a former contestant of “The Apprentice” after denying his sexual assault charges.

New York State Court Judge Jennifer Schecter in Manhattan said Trump must submit to a deposition, after her lawyer said Trump plans to prosecute his accuser, Summer Zervos, under a law of the state designed to encourage freedom of expression.

Schecter ruled after a conference in which the planned counter-prosecution was announced, and lawyers for Trump and Zervos have accused their opponents of delay.

“He just can’t delay this case any longer,” Zervos lawyer Moira Penza told the conference.

Zervos sued Trump in January 2017, but the case remains unsolved in part because Trump argued in the White House that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.

This question became moot after Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, which made Trump a private citizen, ruled New York’s highest court in March. Read more

In a statement, Trump’s new lawyer Alina Habba said the trial court “made its position clear today – Ms. Zervos must comply with the court’s direction and produce all relevant and exceptional findings. In the meantime, we will vigorously defend the president. against this frivolous lawsuit. “

Zervos’ lawyers were not immediately available for comment. Any Zervos deposit must also take place before December 23.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Zervos accused Trump of subjecting her to unwanted kissing and groping when she sought career advice in 2007, two years after appearing on her reality show. .

She sued Trump after he called such allegations of women “lies” and retweeted a post calling Zervos’ allegations a “hoax.”

Zervos asked for a retraction or an apology, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. Trump has denied Zervos’ claims and called his case politically motivated.

Habba said Trump would file a counterclaim under New York’s “anti-SLAPP” law, which seeks to deter prosecutions aimed at punishing or harassing defendants for speaking out about public issues and was extended last November. to cover more speech.

SLAPP stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation”.

Former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll is also suing Trump for libel, after denying raping her at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s.

Trump has denied defaming Carroll and has resisted deposition or DNA evidence. He also denied the allegations of several other women regarding inappropriate sexual behavior.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.