Donald Trump might be on his way to the White House, but “Apprentice” alum Summer Zervos hopes to take him to a courthouse.
Zervos, who last year accused Trump of grabbing her breast without her consent and unwanted aggressive kissing, filed suit against the president-elect on Tuesday. He has denied her allegations.
The defamation suit alleges that Trump falsely branded Zervos (pictured above center) a liar after she made her accusations public, calling her story “totally made up nonsense.”
Zervos, who’s seeking a retraction plus unspecified damages, also characterizes Trump as a “sexual predator” in the suit.
“Ms. Zervos was ambushed by Mr. Trump on more than one occasion. Mr. Trump suddenly, and without her consent, kissed her on the mouth repeatedly, he touched her breast, and he pressed his genitals up against her,” the lawsuit reads. “Ms. Zervos never consented to any of this disgusting touching. Instead, she repeatedly expressed that he should stop his inappropriate sexual behavior, including by shoving him away from her forcefully and telling him to ‘get real.’ Mr. Trump did not care, he kept touching her anyway.”
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks responded to the lawsuit in a statement to TheWrap, saying, “More of the same from Gloria Allred. There is no truth to this absurd story.”
In October, Zervos came forward with her story, saying that she first met Trump while a candidate on Season 5 of “The Apprentice,” and contacted his office in 2007 to inquire about having lunch with him. Trump instead offered to meet her at his office.
“When I arrived he kissed me on the lips. I was surprised but felt that perhaps that was just his form of greeting,” Zervos, who’s represented by Gloria Allred — who, according to the Los Angeles Times, was a delegate for Trump’s former political rival Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention last year — said at a news conference at the time.
Zervos went on to say that Trump told her he would “love to have me work for him,” promising to get in touch when he visited Los Angeles in the near future.
When Trump arrived in Los Angeles, Zervos said, he invited her to dinner, asking her to meet him at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
After arriving at the hotel, Zervos said, she was escorted to a bungalow and sat down in the living room.
Zervos claimed that Trump “grabbed my shoulder and began kissing me again very aggressively and placed his hand on my breast … I pulled back and walked to another part of the room. He then walked up, he grabbed my hand and walked me into the bedroom. I walked out.”
“He put me in an embrace and I tried to push him away. I pushed his chest to put space between us and I said come on man, get real,” Zervos continued. “He repeated my words back to me, ‘get real’ as he began thrusting his genitals. He tried to kiss me again and with my hand still on his chest.”
Trump denied Zervos’ accusations at the time, writing on Facebook, “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.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
23 Stars Definitely Not Performing at Trump Inauguration (Updating Photos)
Donald Trump is so unpopular with Hollywood that two talent wranglers told TheWrap they were offered ambassadorships in exchange for booking top singers. Here are some artists who have said publicly they wouldn't perform for the occasion.
The "Wicked" star got a little snarky when asked to comment on Donald Trump having trouble locking down Inauguration performers, telling Vanity Fair, "It's karma, baby."
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THE CHAINSMOKERS
A rumor that turned out to be a joke from a journalist aside, no, the DJ duo will not be performing.
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THE DIXIE CHICKS
Their manager, Simon Renshaw, told TheWrap that their hit "Not Ready to Make Nice" should be the anthem of every entertainer dealing with Trump. He said of anyone who agrees to perform: “I hope that the check that they get is in the nine figures. Because it’s probably the last check they’re ever going to get.”
ELTON JOHN
Despite a Trump transition team member claiming on the BBC that the "Tiny Dancer" singer would be performing at a concert on the Mall to celebrate "the first American president in U.S. history that enters the White House with a pro-gay rights stance," nope. Not true.
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ANDREA BOCELLI
The operatic Italian tenor declined an offer to perform at the inaugural events, PageSix reported, fearing a backlash among his fans.
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CELINE DION
The French Canadian hit-maker declined an approach from Trump ally and Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn to perform, TheWrap reported.
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KANYE WEST
The hip-hop giant may have met with the president-elect (and put off his own presidential bid until at least 2024) but Tom Barrack, head of Trump's inaugural committee, told CNN, "He is not performing at the inauguration."
ERIC McCORMACK
The "Passengers" and "Will & Grace" star and singer said he'd be willing to perform -- but only after "a lobotomy."
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ICE-T
“I just got call to perform at the Inauguration … I didn’t pick up and Blocked the number,” the rapper tweeted. Trump's team declined to confirm or deny.
KISS
Gene Simmons told TMZ in December that the band had been approached about performing but declined -- in part because they would be touring in Europe at that time.
ADAM LAMBERT
Former "American Idol" finalist and Queen frontman told the BBC that he'd pass on playing the inauguration no matter how big the check that was offered. "I don't think I would take the money on that one," he told the BBC. "I don't think I'd be endorsing that."
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MICHAEL RAPPAPORT
The actor and comedian will not only not perform, he also has strong words for anyone who does, saying they "should be ashamed of themselves."
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ALEX WOLFF The "Patriot's Day" actor, who is also in a band with his brother Nat Wolff, did not mince words when asked if he would perform: "I’m not going to elaborate further because I know when to be tight-lipped, but no f---ing way."
The HBO "Insecure" creator and star said in December she would have to be "'Weekend at Bernie'ed" to show up to Trump's inauguration.
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REBECCA FERGUSON
The British pop star also declined a Trump inauguration -- though she said she'd consider accepting if she was allowed to perform Billie Holiday's classic protest song "Strange Fruit."
MOBY
The DJ announced on Instagram on January 9 that he had been approached to perform, and he declined, saying: "I guess I’d DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns."
Were the late iconic singer still alive today, he "would never support a bigot" by performing at Trump's inauguration, according to his daughter Nancy.
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PAUL ANKA
After agreeing to perform at the inauguration, the legendary singer backed out of plans to perform “My Way” for President-elect Donald Trump. Anka insisted the decision is not out of protest.
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R KELLY
Then R&B star was forced to deny reports that he would performing at the inaugural festivities tweeting: “Despite the rumors circulating online, R. Kelly will not be performing at this years [sic] inauguration ceremony,” the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer tweeted Thursday night. “Any reports stating otherwise are simply untrue.”
“End. Of. Story.,” Kelly added.
JENNIFER HOLLIDAY
After confirming her participation, Holliday eventually pulled out, calling the decision to perform a “lapse in judgement.”
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Performers including Garth Brooks, Celine Dion and The Chainsmokers have made other plans for January 20
Donald Trump is so unpopular with Hollywood that two talent wranglers told TheWrap they were offered ambassadorships in exchange for booking top singers. Here are some artists who have said publicly they wouldn't perform for the occasion.