New York court says Trump can't delay defamation lawsuit

News Releases

A New York court says former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, at least for now. A state appeals court on Thursday turned down a request by Trump's lawyers to delay the case while they appeal a lower-court decision.

Zervos appeared on Trump's former show, "The Apprentice," in 2006. She says he subjected her to unwanted groping and kisses when she sought a job in 2007.

When Trump called her a liar, she sued. Trump's lawyers want to freeze the case until an appeals court decides whether a president can be sued in state court. That's likely to take at least until fall.

The decision means Zervos' lawyers can proceed with demands that the president give a deposition and turn over documents.

A former Deere & Co. factory manager cannot sue the company under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because he worked and lived in China when he was disciplined for having sexual relationships with two Chinese woman also employed by the company, the Iowa Supreme Court said Friday.

The ruling establishes for the first time that the Iowa Civil Rights Act does not apply to circumstances that occur outside the state even though the parties involved may have some Iowa connection. The decision means the lawsuit filed by Matthew Jahnke will be dismissed.

Jahnke, who began working for Deere in 1998, took a job with the company in Harbin in the northeast part of China in 2011 to oversee the construction of a new factory and to manage it once completed.

In April 2014, Deere received internal reports that one of Jahnke's employees had "procured several very expensive luxury cars" for Jahnke, and helped Jahnke "find beautiful women" in exchange for favorable performance reviews. The reports prompted an investigation that revealed Jahnke had sexual relationships with two Chinese women who also worked at the Deere Harbin factory.

The company concluded that Jahnke violated its code of business conduct because he failed to timely disclose sexual relationships with women he managed.

The Deere employee responsible for the initial investigation concluded in his report that Jahnke, a 60-year-old man involved in a sexual relationship with a 28-year-old woman, could cause embarrassment and negative perception for the company and "there could be the obvious perception of an oldish factory manager abusing his influence/position—and create (sic) some possible exposure for the company."

Related listings

  • Taxpayer tab for law firm overseeing Atlantic City hits $4.8M

    Taxpayer tab for law firm overseeing Atlantic City hits $4.8M

    News Releases 06/18/2018

    New Jersey taxpayers' tab for the takeover of Atlantic City has reached about $5 million in fees from the law firm former Gov. Chris Christie picked to oversee the gambling resort.Records obtained Thursday by The Associated Press show the firm of Chi...

  • Australian cardinal back in court on sex abuse charges

    Australian cardinal back in court on sex abuse charges

    News Releases 05/08/2018

    an appearance in a Melbourne court where he will eventually stand trial on sexual abuse charges spanning decades.Magistrate Belinda Wallington on Tuesday ordered Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic to appear at Victoria state County Court afte...

  • Law firm hired to investigate economic development agency

    Law firm hired to investigate economic development agency

    News Releases 04/30/2018

    The Oregon Department of Justice has hired a law firm to investigate allegations of discrimination and mismanagement at the state's economic development agency, Business Oregon.The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that in an anonymous letter to Gov. Kate...

Lawyer Website Design For Sole Practitioners - Law Promo

Law Promo understands that running a solo law practice can be a difficult undertaking at any stage, especially if you are just starting up your practice.

The most challenging part of running any solo business can be managing each and every aspect, especially those areas in which you have less experience. Marketing is often one of the weakest areas for small businesses and yet is the most important in ensuring business growth.

A solid internet marketing campaign is crucial, as it can level the playing field between you and larger firms and is by far the most cost effective way to attract more clients.