Former 'Apprentice' Contestant Sues Trump

Former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos filed a defamation lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump.

The suit was filed in New York Tuesday morning, according to her attorney, Gloria Allred.

Zervos said she would drop the suit if Trump will admit to the conduct and apologize for it.

"Everyone has to take responsibility for their action," Allred said in a press conference Tuesday.

Allred said she could potentially subpoena outtakes from The Apprentice. "We would certainly seek all information which may be relevant to the litigation of our lawsuit."

Allred said she had not had any contact with Trump attorneys about a possible settlement.

Allred urged Trump to issue a retraction two months ago after he threatened to sue Zervos and other sexual assault accusers. He has said all the allegations are untrue.

Asked about the timing of the suit days before the inauguration, she said: "Why not now?"

The Trump transition team had not returned a request for comment at press time.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.