(Reuters) — A defamation lawsuit filed against U.S. President Donald Trump by a contestant on his former reality show “The Apprentice” who accused him of sexual harassment can proceed, a New York state judge ruled on Tuesday, raising the possibility of President Trump being forced to answer questions about his behavior toward women.
Justice Jennifer Schecter in the Manhattan Supreme Court said there was “absolutely no authority” to dismiss or stay a civil lawsuit by Summer Zervos related “purely to unofficial conduct” because President Trump was U.S. president.
The ruling could force Trump to submit to questioning by lawyers for Ms. Zervos and lead to further public scrutiny of other claims of sexual misconduct that have been made against the president.
Recent allegations of sexual harassment involving movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, coupled with the #MeToo social media campaign, are a “watershed moment” for women, according to Michael Kimmel, a sociologist who has studied masculinity for decades. While in the past, women who made such accusations were often challenged as “women scorned”—such was the case when Anita Hill testified at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ 1991 nomination hearings--they now are being taken seriously, he said during last month’s Fast Company Innovation Festival.