Summer Zervos, the former ‘The Apprentice’ contestant who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault and has been trying to sue him for defamation since 2017, abruptly dropped her lawsuit on Friday. The lawsuit ends without any compensation or apology from Trump.
In a filing to the Supreme Court of New York in New York County, both Zervos and Trump agreed that “all claims and counterclaims” from the lawsuit are dismissed with prejudice — meaning permanently. Both parties will be responsible for paying their own legal bills.
In 2016 Zervos, a former contestant on the NBC reality show, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her twice, first during a meeting in New York City and another time in Beverly Hills; she said both incidents took place in 2007. Trump (of course) denied any wrongdoing and at a rally in 2016, he called accusations by Zervos and other women “total fiction” and “all false stuff.”
The statute of limitations had long since expired by that point, but Zervos hired high profile attorney Gloria Allred and initiated the defamation lawsuit against Trump, arguing that Trump maligned her reputation by calling her a liar.
It isn’t clear why Zervos chose to end the lawsuit, but under the terms that the lawsuit has been terminated, she is not barred from discussing her accusations.
“Ms. Zervos no longer wishes to litigate against the defendant and has secured the right to speak freely about her experience. Ms. Zervos stands by the allegations in her complaint,” her current attorneys, Beth Wilkinson and Moira Penza, said in a statement.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.