Ex-Playboy model sues to break silence on Trump
President Trump is at the center of two more lawsuits related to allegations of relationships with women before he occupied the White House.
One was filed against a media company Tuesday by a former Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with him. The other came after a New York court ruled that a former Apprentice contestant who accused Trump of groping her would be allowed to move forward with a defamation lawsuit against the president. Tuesday, Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model, filed suit to be freed from a deal she said she made to remain silent about an alleged affair with Trump.
McDougal sued American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer, which allegedly paid her $150,000 not to speak about her affair. “AMI lied to me, made empty promises and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me,” she said in a statement. “I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives and its lawyers.”
Summer Zervos, the former Apprentice contestant, accused Trump of groping her, then defaming her during the presidential election. Trump’s lawyers asked a New York court to dismiss Zervos’ suit. The court denied the request. In its ruling, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter said, “No one is above the law.”
Former porn star Stormy Daniels said she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about her relationship with Trump. She argued that the non-disclosure agreement she signed was invalid because Trump never signed it.