A New York court has said that any sitting US president is still able to be tried in a state court, after Donald Trump sought to delay a defamation trial arising from a lawsuit filed by a former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos.
The reality TV contestant's lawsuit claims that the President's repeated denials of her sexual misconduct allegations are factual falsehoods that have subjected her to threats and cost her business at her Southern California restaurant.Ms Zervos has repeatedly accused Mr Trump of kissing her against her will at a 2007 meeting in New York, and later groping her at a Beverly Hills hotel.Mr Trump had earlier sought to dismiss the case entirely but failed.In a 3-2 decision on Thursday, the Appellate Division in Manhattan said the US Constitution did not strip state courts of power to decide cases arising under state constitutions, even if they involved sitting presidents.
