Summer Zervos has sued President-elect Donald Trump for defamation three months after her public allegation of sexual assault and just four days before his inauguration.
ADVERTISEMENT
Zervos' attorney Gloria Allred revealed during a Tuesday press conference the lawsuit was filed in New York because Zervos -- who was the first contestant fired from Season 5 of Trump's The Apprentice series -- "seeks to make Donald Trump accountable for the damage he has caused" her, People reported.
"Enough is enough. Truth matters. Women matter," Allred said. "Those who allege that there were victims of sexual misconduct or sexual assault by Donald Trump matter."
Zervos is one of many women to publicly come forward and allege Trump had treated her with inappropriate sexual conduct in the past.
In October 2016, Zervos accused Trump of sexually harassing her 10 years prior, causing her pain and anguish. She claimed her rejection of Trump's overtures also cost her a dream job with The Trump Organization company.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He treated me as if I was an object to be hit upon... you do not have a right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star," Zervos publicly declared last year as tears filled her eyes.
Zervos said that after an initial 2007 meeting in Trump's New York office over a potential job position in his company, the President-elect traveled to California several days later and requested she meet him at the Beverly Hills Hotel to talk over dinner. She claimed Trump lured her to a "bungalow" instead and then made his move.
"He grabbed my shoulder, began kissing me again very aggressively and placed his hand on my breast," Zervos said, adding that Trump then tried to lead her into the bedroom but she refused and told him to "get real" because she "wasn't interested."
Allred announced on Tuesday that Zervos passed a polygraph examination ahead of the latest press conference in regard to her assault claims, according to People. Allred claimed the polygraph was administered by a "very experienced" professional.
Allred said Zervos is willing to drop the lawsuit if the President-elect retracts his "false statements" about her and confirms that her allegations are true.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump publicly denied Zervos' allegations in October after she made them public. "To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago. That is not who I am as a person, and it is not how I've conducted my life," he said in statement released to People.
Trump additionally called all the women alleging he assaulted them "liars." He claimed the accusations are "all 100 percent, totally and completely fabricated," and "in just about all cases, nonsense."
Zervos later claimed in another press conference held late last year that she had been "threatened" for speaking out about her alleged history with Trump. Ironically at the time, Allred said Zervos had "no present intent" to sue Trump.
For all the details on Zervos' story of assault that allegedly took place in 2007, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski