Ex-‘Apprentice’ contestant Summer Zervos ends suit against Trump

Former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos has ended her defamation lawsuit against former President Trump, with neither side receiving any monetary compensation for the settlement.

Zervos had accused Trump of defaming her in a lawsuit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court in 2017. Zervos’s lawyers said in a statement Friday that she no longer wants to continue with the lawsuit.

“After five years, Ms. Zervos no longer wishes to litigate against the defendant and has secured the right to speak freely about her experience,” lawyers Beth Wilkinson and Moira Penza said in the statement to Reuters and other news outlets. “Ms. Zervos stands by the allegations in her complaint and has accepted no compensation.”

Zervos filed the suit after Trump denied allegations of sexual assault that she made during his 2016 presidential campaign bid. Zervos claimed Trump groped her and kissed her without her consent on multiple occasions, including after a business meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007, after she was a contestant on the reality show hosted by Trump.

Trump touted the decision to end the lawsuit Friday, asserting he was “totally vindicated.”

“It is so sad when things like this can happen, but so incredibly important to fight for the truth and justice,” he said. “Only victory can restore one’s reputation!”