Gloria Allred, the high-profile California attorney, told LawNewz.com that she is collecting donations to support the case filed against Donald Trump by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos. Zervos is suing Trump for defamation after she says he lied about touching her inappropriately.
“We are accepting donations to be used for attorney’s fees and cost on behalf of Summer Zervos. Our attorney’s fees on this case are being charged at a steeply discounted basis and I am not charging for any of my time spent on this case,” Allred told LawNewz.com.
A fundraising website says that all legal costs associated with the case will be paid through public donations, and Zervos will not be “personally responsibly for any legal fees or costs that may be incurred.”
Zervos claims that Trump kissed and groped her in a Beverly Hill hotel room and in New York in 2007. “As I was about to leave, he again kissed me on the lips,” Zervos said. “This made me feel nervous and embarrassed. This is not what I wanted or expected.” Shortly after an Access Hollywood video showed Trump talking inappropriately, 10 women came forward claiming Trump had sexually harassed or assaulted them. During several public appearances, Trump denied the allegations, and said the accusers were lying.
“It was Donald Trump who was lying when he falsely denied his predatory misconduct with Summer Zervos, and derided her for perpetrating a ‘hoax’ and making up a ‘phony’ story to get attention,” the lawsuit says. “There is no truth to this absurd story,” Hope Hicks, a spokesperson for Donald Trump said in response to the lawsuit.
Zervos said she would withdraw the lawsuit if Trump told the truth. Allred, Zervos’ attorney, also indicated that she would try to subpoena other outtakes from when Trump appeared on The Apprentice that are said to contain controversial statements. Allred would not disclose how much money has been raised so far. However, since Tuesday when the lawsuit was filed, Allred said they have also received contributions from private donors through non-platform sources. If any money is left over, Allred said she will be donating “all such funds to one or more rape crisis centers at our discretion.”
Follow Law&Crime:
