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Wilkes’ MLK program features ‘a very different and unexpected story’

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<p>LOS ANGELES &#8212; A former contestant on TV&#8217;s &#8220;The Apprentice&#8221; on Tuesday filed a defamation lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump, whom she has accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward her.</p><p>Summer Zervos announced the lawsuit at a downtown Los Angeles news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, three days before Trump&#8217;s inauguration.</p><p>Zervos, who appeared on the fifth season of the reality show, said Trump had tried to seduce her at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007, kissing her on the mouth without her consent and pressing himself against her. She tearfully described darting around a hotel room to avoid physical contact with Trump, even as she sought employment from him.</p><p>Zervos said in October that she felt compelled to go public with the accusations after seeing recordings on the set of &#8220;Access Hollywood&#8221; that had been released days earlier, in which Trump made crude comments about grabbing women by the genitals.</p><p>&#8220;For the first time, Summer Zervos saw Trump&#8217;s behavior towards her for what it was: a sexual predator who had preyed on her and other women,&#8221; the lawsuit says.</p><p>On Tuesday, Allred said her client had voluntarily taken a lie-detector test regarding the allegations and had passed.</p><p>The lawsuit was filed in New York.</p><p>Trump responded by denying Zervos&#8217; allegations and saying he &#8220;vaguely&#8221; recalled her from the reality-television show he hosted for more than a decade.</p><p>&#8220;To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago. That is not who I am as a person, and it is not how I&#8217;ve conducted my life,&#8221; Trump said in a statement.</p><p>On Tuesday, Zervos said she would retract her lawsuit if Trump issued a retraction of his statements about her.</p><p>&#8220;I would still be willing to dismiss my case against him immediately for no monetary compensation if he will simply retract his false and defamatory statements about me and acknowledge that I told the truth about him,&#8221; Zervos said.</p><p>Allred said the suit opens the possibility that Trump will be forced to testify under oath and that recordings and video from &#8220;The Apprentice&#8221; could be subpoenaed.</p><p>Allred said Zervos gave Trump months to retract his statements about Zervos and said the timing of the suit the week of the inauguration came because his &#8220;time is up.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;This was in Mr. Trump&#8217;s hands,&#8221; Allred said. &#8220;This lawsuit did not need to be filed.&#8221;</p><p>She said she and Zervos, and possibly other Trump accusers, will be in Washington, D.C., for the Women&#8217;s March on Washington.</p><p>Trump&#8217;s media relations team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">In this Jan. 13, 2017 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Trump has offered views on U.S. relations with Asia that could indicate radical shifts in long-standing policy toward the region. From opposing free trade agreements to confronting China and questioning Japan-South Korea alliances, he appears set to be charting a course far different from previous administrations. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_114549741-2ee121acaac3476f8707f38ed2551a5d.jpg</photo0><caption0>In this Jan. 13, 2017 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Trump has offered views on U.S. relations with Asia that could indicate radical shifts in long-standing policy toward the region. From opposing free trade agreements to confronting China and questioning Japan-South Korea alliances, he appears set to be charting a course far different from previous administrations. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Hailey Branson-Potts</p><p>Los Angeles Times (TNS)</p></bylineMeta></div>

Former ‘Apprentice’ contestant accuses Trump of unwanted advances, files defamation suit