Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath in a lawsuit Monday, and his attorneys could soon set a date for a deposition in another case, as well.
The lawsuits, involving allegations that his security guards roughed up protesters outside Trump Tower in New York and allegations of defamation by former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos, respectively, are just two cases in the mass of civil litigation Trump faces post-presidency.
At least 10 civil cases are pending against Trump, whose ability to delay them has been curtailed since he left office in January. Trump had argued in some of the cases that as a sitting president he was immune from civil lawsuits. His office didn't respond to a request for comment on the cases.
Here's a rundown of where the major civil suits stand.
Protesters at Trump Tower
Attorneys for protesters who allege that Trump's bodyguards assaulted them during a demonstration in 2015 proceeded to question Trump on Monday morning in a closed, videotaped session at Trump Tower — where the six protesters were demonstrating in September 2015 over Trump' comments about Mexican immigrants when he was running for president.
After the deposition, one of those attorneys, Benjamin Dictor, told reporters outside the building that his team asked the former president about his statements at campaign events and rallies that they allege "encouraged violence at those events or encouraged security guards to engage in violence or the confiscation of property."
“We believe there is ample evidence to demonstrate that before and after the incident at issue the Trump Organization, the Trump campaign and Donald J. Trump himself authorized and condoned violent acts in violation of individual rights, just as those acts that were committed against our clients" outside Trump Tower," Dictor added.
Dictor declined to comment on Trump's answers to their questions, saying only that he intended to present the sworn testimony to a jury "as soon as possible."
Trump said in an affidavit in 2016 that he has no knowledge about the altercation and that he wasn't directly involved in hiring security personnel. His attorneys tried to spare him from testifying for years, including while he was president, but the judge said his testimony was "indispensable."
In a statement Monday, Trump said the case "should have never been brought as the plaintiffs have no one to blame but themselves," and alleged the protesters "intentionally sought to rile up a crowd by blocking the entrance to Trump Tower."
"When security tried to deescalate the situation, they were unfortunately met with taunts and violence from the plaintiffs themselves," he added, calling the plaintiffs' claims of injury "baseless."
"After years of litigation, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to tell my side of this ridiculous story — Just one more example of baseless harassment of your favorite president,” Trump said.
Summer Zervos
Zervos, a contestant on Season 5 of the reality show "The Apprentice," says Trump smeared her by calling her a liar during his 2016 presidential campaign after she accused him of having subjected her to unwanted kissing and groping when she was seeking career advice in 2007, a year after she appeared on the show.
An attorney for Trump declined to comment. Trump's attorneys have said that his statements were true and that they plan to file a countersuit.
At a court conference this month, the judge's law clerk said all depositions must be completed by Dec. 23.
"The defendant is now a private citizen, and he just cannot delay this litigation any longer," Zervos attorney Moira Penza told the clerk, according to The Associated Press.
Trump's attorneys could file court papers Monday to set a date for his deposition.
E. Jean Carroll
Like Zervos, E. Jean Carroll is suing Trump for defamation, contending that he slandered her by accusing her of making up allegations of sexual assault. Carroll alleges that Trump raped her during a chance encounter in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s.
Trump countered that "she's not my type" and that the incident "never happened," and he accused her of concocting the story to sell her 2019 memoir, in which she recounted the allegation of assault. Carroll says she still has the dress from the encounter, and her attorney has asked for a DNA sample from Trump to help prove her claim.
The state case was transferred to federal court last year after the Justice Department sought to intervene, arguing that Trump was immune because the statements were part of his official responsibilities. The judge disagreed, a ruling that Trump and the Justice Department have appealed.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in December, and deposition dates could be set soon after the court rules.
Business investors
Trump, his children Eric, Don Jr. and Ivanka, and his company are also being sued in the same courthouse by a group of people who claim that the family conned them into making bad investments in businesses the Trumps were promoting. The suit, which seeks class-action status for thousands of people, alleges that Trump hid that he was being paid millions to endorse the companies.
"From 2005 to at least 2015, defendants received millions of dollars in secret payments to promote and endorse ACN," the suit alleges, referring to a multilevel marketing company that was among the businesses the Trumps were endorsing. "In return, Donald J. Trump told prospective investors that '[y]ou have a great opportunity before you at ACN without any of the risks most entrepreneurs have to take,' and that ACN's flagship videophone was doing 'half-a-billion dollars' worth of sales a year.' Trump also told investors that he had 'experienced the opportunity' and 'done a lot of research,' and that his endorsement was 'not for any money.' Not a word of this was true."
Trump's attorneys contended that the investors didn't have a case because none of them paid the Trumps directly, and they argued that the family isn't responsible for any of their losses. They also argued that Trump's statements were opinion and that they included "puffery" that no "reasonable investor" would have relied upon.
Depositions are supposed to be concluded by April 29, and the case is expected to go to trial in 2023.