INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Donald Trump has asked New York state's highest court to delay a defamation lawsuit
(File)New York: US President Donald Trump has asked New York state's highest court to delay a defamation
lawsuit by a former contestant on his reality television show "The Apprentice" who said he sexually harassed her, claiming immunity and
denying the allegations.Trump is challenging a March 20 ruling by Justice Jennifer Schecter of State Supreme Court in Manhattan allowing the
A preliminary conference before Schecter is scheduled for June 5, court records show.In a filing on Monday, Trump told the state's Court of
Appeals that the lawsuit by Summer Zervos should be put on hold because a sitting U.S
president is immune from being sued in a state court during his term in the White House.In another filing late Tuesday night, Trump formally
answered the complaint, and again denied the allegations or said he did not have enough information to form a belief.Saying "no one is above
the law," Schecter rejected Trump's claim of immunity over private conduct predating his becoming president.An intermediate state appeals
court on May 17 refused to halt Zervos' lawsuit, without ruling on its merits.Trump said that refusal qualified as a "final appealable
order" justifying intervention by the Court of Appeals.Zervos' lawyer, Mariann Wang, said in an email that Trump "has lost his effort to
stay this action twice already, and for good reason
No one is above the law."We look forward to proving (the) defendant lied when he attacked Ms
Zervos for telling the truth about his unwanted sexual groping," Wang added.Zervos accused Trump of subjecting her to unwanted kissing and
groping after she sought career advice in 2007.She came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign, and Trump called such allegations by
women "lies." He also retweeted a post calling Zervos' claims a "hoax."Zervos said Trump defamed her by branding her a liar
She is seeking a retraction or an apology, compensatory damages and punitive damages in her lawsuit.In addition to presidential immunity,
Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitz argued that the alleged defamatory statements were also "privileged or protected by one or more immunities,
including, but not limited to, under the Constitution of the United States," among other defenses. © Thomson Reuters 2018
