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NEW YORK — A New York court said Thursday that former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, at least for now.

The ruling by the Supreme Court’s appellate division means Zervos’ lawyers can press ahead with a demand for Trump campaign documents and other records while they await another appeals court decision that is likely months away.

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Trump’s lawyers had asked to put the case on ice until appeals judges decide whether to dismiss it or postpone it past his presidency. That’s likely to take at least until fall.

“We look forward to proving Ms. Zervos’s claim that (the) defendant lied when he maliciously attacked her for reporting his sexually abusive behaviour,” said her lawyer, Mariann Wang.

Photo by BARRY WILLIAMS/AFP/Getty Images

Zervos, a California restaurateur, appeared on Trump’s former show, “The Apprentice,” in 2006. She says he subjected her to unwanted groping and kisses when she sought career advice in 2007.

Trump has denied her allegations, which she first made publicly during his campaign in 2016. At one point, he retweeted a message that included her photo and described her claims as a “hoax.”

Zervos’s suit doesn’t claim sexual harassment; the legal time clock for such a case ran out years ago. Instead, she’s suing Trump for calling her a liar, saying it hurt her reputation.

“I’ve suffered terribly as a result of defendant’s (Trump’s) lies and attacks upon me,” she said in a sworn statement last September.

She’s seeking a retraction, an apology and compensatory and punitive damages.