Getty Images

A New York appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a defamation suit against former President Donald Trump filed by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos can proceed.

Zervos accused Trump of sexually assaulting her on two occasions, forcibly kissing and groping her. In 2017, Zervos filed the defamation lawsuit after Trump accused her of lying. His lawyers argued that because he was president, he had immunity, and the case was put on hold in January 2020.

In a statement, Zervos' lawyer, Beth Wilkinson, said that since Trump is "now a private citizen," he "has no further excuse to delay justice for Ms. Zervos, and we are eager to get back to the trial court and prove her claims." Zervos and her legal team are hoping that Trump will be compelled to testify under oath about her allegations.

Trump is also facing criminal investigations and a second defamation suit, filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s at a department store in Manhattan, and in 2019, she sued him for defamation after he publicly denied the claims.