Trump faces lawsuits from former Playboy model, former 'Apprentice' contestant

First, Stormy Daniels. Now, Karen McDougal and Summer Zervos.

President Donald Trump is at the center of two more lawsuits related to allegations of relationships with women before he entered politics. One was filed against a media company Tuesday by a former Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with him.

The other came after a New York court ruled that a former "Apprentice" contestant who accused Trump of groping her would be allowed to move forward with a defamation lawsuit against the president.

Tuesday, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who was born in Northwest Indiana, filed suit to be freed from a deal she said she made to remain silent about an alleged affair with Trump. Her Playboy bio from 1998 states she was born in Gary, Ind. — though some reports say Merrillville, Ind. — and moved to Michigan with her family when she was in fourth grade.

McDougal sued American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer, which allegedly paid her $150,000 not to speak about her affair.

"AMI lied to me, made empty promises and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me," McDougal said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives and its lawyers."

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A month ago, a watchdog group asked the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission to investigate the alleged six-figure payment to McDougal.

McDougal's lawyer, Peter Stris, said her previous lawyer worked with AMI to mislead her about the deal.

"A quarter-billion-dollar company posing as a media organization systematically intimidated and silenced Karen McDougal in order to achieve its political and financial ends, and she will no longer be quiet," Stris said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "We are confident that the so-called contract will be invalidated and are eager for Ms. McDougal to be able to move forward with her life with the privacy she deserves."

Tuesday, a New York court ruled that Zervos, the former "Apprentice" contestant, would be allowed to move forward with a defamation suit against the president. Zervos accused Trump of groping her, then defaming her during the 2016 presidential election. Trump's lawyers asked the court to dismiss Zervos' suit.The court denied the Trump request. In its ruling, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter said, "No one is above the law." The court noted that Trump making statements about Zervos on the campaign trail "does not make them any less actionable."

Schecter cited Clinton v. Jones, a case that found that a sitting president wasn't immune from being sued in federal court for unofficial acts. That case opened the door for President Clinton's impeachment.

Former porn star Stormy Daniels said she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about her relationship with Trump. She argued that the non-disclosure agreement she signed was invalid because it was never signed by Trump himself.

Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, claimed Daniels violated the NDA and could pay up to $20 million in damages.

New Yorker report: Note by ex-Playmate details Trump affair