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A woman presided over by Donald Trump allegedly attempted to "harass" him through an invasive and inflammatory request for documents, defense lawyers said in a new case.
The president's team opposes Summer Zervos, a former competitor of "The Apprentice" who sued Trump for defamation after calling her a liar when she publicly announced that he had kissed her in 2007.
Zervos sought information from Trump Org. and the Trump campaign about 21 other women who have accused her of sexual harassment, claiming that she is entitled to "all documents concerning … any woman alleging that Donald J. Trump has it. has been inappropriately affected ".
(PLUS: Summer Zervos asks for information about other Trump accusers for a defamation lawsuit)
In a new legal deposit, the president's defense attorney, Marc Kasowitz, said Zervos was only trying to "harass and distract President Trump from his official duties and turn the investigation process into a series." of mini trials ".
"The request for disclosure of the fishing expedition requested by the plaintiff has nothing to do with his application for defamation and his petition should be dismissed," Kasowitz added.
Zervos sued Trump in 2017 just before taking office, claiming that he had mistakenly described her as a liar. The president has repeatedly tried to dismiss the trial and has denied sexually assaulting or harassing women, including Zervos, before taking office.
Zervos argued that evidence about other women would be "directly relevant" to his request.
(PLUS: Donald Trump used his charity money to pay legal bills, promote hotels, legal proceedings)
"The information about these other women is important and necessary to refute the defense that each of the defamatory statements was substantially true," said the plaintiff's attorney, Mariann Wang, at a hearing last month. .
The President agreed to provide, by the end of September, written answers or objections to a series of other questions posed by the Zervos legal team, but stated that the Request for information about other accusers had to be rejected.
(PLUS: List of Trump's accusers and their allegations of sexual misconduct)
"The plaintiff does not prove and can not demonstrate that the disclosure that she seeks is important and necessary to claim that she was defamed," Kasowitz wrote.
Trump appealed the decision of the court of first instance that allowed the Zervos case to continue. His legal team has argued that a sitting president is immune, under the supremacy clause of the Constitution, from state courts.
A state court of appeal filed oral arguments in the case on October 18.
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