Donald Trump and his ex-wife Ivana arrive at a social engagement in New York on December 1989. | Getty Outlets seek to unseal Trump’s 1990 divorce records

News organizations are requesting that the New York Supreme Court unseal records from Donald Trump’s 1990 divorce with Ivana Trump in an effort to determine whether the Republican nominee was accused of sexual assault by his ex-wife.

The outlets, which include The New York Times and USA Today parent company Gannett, argue that releasing the records would "resolve an ongoing campaign controversy" over whether, during the separation proceedings, Ivana alleged that sexual assault had occurred in their high-profile 14-year marriage.


The contentious divorce, originally granted on the basis of “cruel and unusual treatment,” has been a continuing source of controversy for the New York billionaire. The Daily Beast reported in September 2015 that Ivana had accused Trump of rape during the deposition, eliciting denials from both former spouses.

Ivana, who has endorsed Trump in the presidential campaign, says she has remained a close friend of the Republican nominee despite their separation. She has since downplayed claims of assault during their marriage.

According to USA Today, the news outlets argue that records of Trump’s divorce "have become directly relevant to the issues being debated in the hotly contested presidential campaign” and that “it would be deeply incongruous to American democracy to bar the public from seeing the official court records pertaining directly to the credibility and character of a person they must soon decide whether to elect as their president."