Ivanka must answer questions in shoe suit

Ivanka Trump must answer questions in a lawsuit over whether her company ripped off a rival’s shoe design, as a judge rejected her claim that she’s too busy as a “high-ranking government official” in the White House to sit for a deposition. US District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said Trump must spend two hours responding to questions about the design of a shoe sold by her company.

“Ms. Trump’s public statements regarding active and comprehensive brand management lead to a reasonable inference that the shoe at issue would not have been released without her approval,” Forrest said in a three-page order. “In such a situation, a deposition is appropriate.”

Aquazzura Italia SRL sued Trump, her company IT Collection LLC and shoemaker Marc Fisher Holdings, claiming they illegally copied its pricey “Wild Thing” shoe in designing the Ivanka Trump “Hettie” model. Aquazzura wants to question Ivanka Trump before a trial, but her legal team asked Forrest to rule she doesn’t have to testify.

Trump, whose White House title is “Assistant to the President of the United States,” is too important and busy to testify, her lawyer, Darren Saunders, argued in a June 16 letter to the judge.

“The deposition of Ms. Trump would be an unnecessary distraction and would interfere with her ability to perform her duties at the White House,” he wrote. Trump also claimed she lacked relevant information about the shoes, which are sold with her name stamped on them in gold letters.

“I had no involvement in the conception, design, production or sale of the ‘Hettie Shoe,”’ Trump said June 16 in a declaration filed with the court. “My involvement was strictly limited to the final sign-off of each season’s line after it was first reviewed and approved by the company’s design team.” Trump’s lawyers offered Abigail Klem, IT Collection’s president, to answer Aquazzura’s questions.

Wild Thing sells for $785. The Ivanka Trump Hettie retails for around $130.