[View here as a Twitter thread]
(thread) A primer the Summer Zervos lawsuit against Trump. Facts: In Oct. 2016, after Trump said he never groped women, Zervos said that he groped and sexually harassed her when she was on the Apprentice. Trump called her a liar.
1/ Zervos responded by suing in state court, claiming that calling her a liar defamed her. Trump’s lawyer tried to have the case dismissed on the grounds that Trump’s speech was protected by the First Amendment (ridiculous) and that a sitting president cannot be sued . .
2/ . . . in state court (absurd after Paula Jones was able to sue Bill Clinton.) The judge ruled against Trump, saying Zervos can bring her case against him. “No one is above the law,” the judge said. The court will decide who is lying.
3/ Both Trump and Zervos testify under oath, and bring other evidence. Zervos will try to establish a pattern by bringing in lots of other women who say the same thing. (The standard of proof is much lower than a criminal case. The jury just decides who’s most likely lying)
4/ Updating this thread: Trump appealed, asking for an order to “pause discovery.” He lost. Now Trump had until May 29th to respond to a demand that he be deposed. Stormy said she won’t settle until the truth comes out. Summer?
5/ Things are not going Trump’s way: The judge ruled against him. Now he wants to appeal whether a POTUS can be sued in state court—a Hail Mary appeal that doesn’t stand a chance. Buckle your seatbelts. Looks like Trump will be deposed.
6/ Twitter Law 101: A deposition is when a party or witness to a lawsuit answers questions under oath as part of the pre-trial evidence-gathering process.
