President Donald Trump’s claims that women who accused him of sexual harassment lied were just a political opinion he expressed on the campaign trail, his lawyers argued as they sought to have one such case thrown out of court.
Former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos sued Trump in January, claiming he defamed her when he denied allegations that he had groped her and called his accusers liars.
“Ms. Zervos cannot hold the president liable for engaging in political speech in the context of a public debate because such speech is clearly protected by the First Amendment,” Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing Tuesday. “Political statements in political contexts are non-actionable political opinion.”
Zervos is one of more than a dozen women who have accused the president of sexually harassing them, groping them or kissing them without their consent.
In March, Trump had argued for dismissal of Zervos’s lawsuit saying he has presidential immunity for state lawsuits.
In the latest filing, Trump said Zervos tried to contact him and wanted a job even after he made the statements that she now claims were defamatory. She only turned against him after he failed to accept an invitation to her restaurant, Trump said.
Zervos’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing.
The lawsuit is politically motivated and Allred’s answer to Trump’s winning the election, according to the filing.
The case is Zervos v. Trump, 150522/2017, New York Supreme Court (New York).
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.