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The abrupt decision to discontinue the case
spares Trump from being questioned under oath about accusations
he subjected Zervos to unwanted kissing and groping in 2007
after she had sought career advice.
Zervos had sued Trump in January 2017 in a New York state court
in Manhattan, saying he harmed her reputation by calling such
allegations by women "lies" and retweeting a post calling her
claims a "hoax."
Trump has also denied Zervos' assault claims, calling them
politically motivated. Zervos had appeared on Trump's reality
television show in 2005.
"Ms. Zervos no longer wishes to litigate against the defendant
and has secured the right to speak freely about her experience,"
her lawyers Beth Wilkinson and Moira Penza said in a joint
statement. "Ms. Zervos stands by the allegations in her
complaint."
Trump, a Republican, had been seeking https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-denies-evading-questioning-apprentice-contestants-defamation-case-2021-11-03
court permission to countersue Zervos for interfering with his
right to speak freely, a right he said was protected under New
York law.
Zervos' lawyers called that effort an attempt to escape a
court-ordered Dec. 23 deadline to be deposed.
"Ms. Zervos made the prudent decision to voluntarily drop her
case without the exchange of any compensation or attorneys’
fees," Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said in an email. "She had no
choice but to do so as the facts unearthed in this matter made
it abundantly clear that our client did nothing wrong."
Wilkinson and Penza did not immediately respond to requests for
additional comment.
"It is so sad when things like this can happen, but so
incredibly important to fight for the truth and justice," Trump
said. "Only victory can restore one's reputation."
Trump's comments were contained in a statement provided by Save
America, a political action committee that supports him. The
statement said Trump has been "totally vindicated."
Zervos' case remained unresolved in part because Trump sought
while in the White House to halt a variety of legal proceedings
by arguing a sitting president could not be sued.
That argument became moot after Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020
presidential election and Trump became a private citizen.
New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, dismissed
Trump's latest appeal in Zervos' case in March.
Other legal matters delayed while Trump was president included
the ongoing probe https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-company-braces-expected-unveiling-criminal-tax-charges-thursday-2021-07-01
by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance into Trump's family
company, the Trump Organization.
Trump has denied claims by several women of improper sexual
conduct.
One, former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, also sued
Trump for defamation after he denied having raped her in a
Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s.
Trump has asked the federal appeals court in Manhattan to let
him substitute the U.S. government as the defendant, essentially
shielding him from personal liability, because he had spoken
about Carroll in his capacity as president.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Dec. 3. The Biden
administration has essentially adopted Trump's position, while
describing his statements questioning Carroll's credibility as
"crude and disrespectful."
Julie Fink, a lawyer for Carroll, said in an email that her
client "has no intention" of dropping her lawsuit.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting
by Jan Wolfe in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Chris Reese,
Cynthia Osterman, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio)
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