Trump accuser Summer Zervos seeks Apprentice recordings for defamation case

Summer Zervos.
(Image credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

A lawyer for former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, who has accused President Trump of sexual assault and is suing him for defamation, said on Wednesday she has issued subpoenas to the company that owns archives of The Apprentice and the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Zervos says she was groped by Trump in 2007.

"We're gathering evidence that we believe will prove that the defendant lied when he falsely denigrated Ms. Zervos and when he denied sexually assaulting her," attorney Mariann Wang told The New York Times. Wang said Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has been asked to hand over any documents, video, or audio featuring Zervos or Trump talking about Zervos, as well as any recording where Trump can be heard discussing women "in any sexual or inappropriate manner." The subpoena for the Beverly Hills Hotel seeks records from any of Trump's stays from 2005 to 2009, as well as documents related to his bodyguard Keith Schiller, his assistant Rhona Graff, or Zervos.

Zervos came forward with her accusations during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. He denied the allegations and called her a liar, which resulted in Zervos filing a defamation lawsuit last year. In March, over the objections of Trump's lawyers, a judge in New York ruled her suit could proceed.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.