Court says Ivanka Trump must testify in knock-off shoes suit

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President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka must give testimony later this year in a lawsuit against her apparel company, which is accused of lifting designs from a celebrated Italian shoemaker, a US judge ruled.

In a court order issued on Friday, New York District Judge Katherine Forrest rejected Trump's assertion that she should be exempted from having to appear at a deposition in the case because of the demands on her time as a senior White House official.

Despite "the obvious time constraints that Ms. Trump must currently have... it is nonetheless true that she is alleged to have personal involvement in the events at issue in this lawsuit," Judge Forrest wrote in her three-page ruling.

"Accordingly, she cannot avoid a deposition in this matter."

The court limited the time of the deposition to just two hours, however, and ruled that it must take place in Washington by October of this year.

New York Daily News photo

The luxury brand Aquazzura last year filed a federal complaint against Trump and her manufacturer, Marc Fisher Footwear, for trade dress infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices.

The Italian company said Ivanka Trump "copied nearly every detail" of the brand's "well-known and coveted 'Wild Thing Shoe' from the shape and silhouette to the fringe covering the toes, to the tassel on the heel."

Her manufacturer has flatly rejected the charge.

Aquazzura's "Wild Thing" shoe was an immediate success, becoming the signature stiletto of stars including actress Jamie Chung, singer Solange Knowles – Beyonce's sister – and model Kendall Jenner, selling in the United States for 785 US dollars.

Ivanka Trump's "Hettie" style, which the Italian brand said copies the design of their shoe, costs 145 US dollars.

This is not the first time Ivanka Trump's apparel brand has been in the middle of a controversy.

In May workers making cloths for Ivanka Trump's clothing factory in China have reportedly complained about the "poverty pay," verbal abuse and impossible targets, while in February President Trump's adviser Kellyanne Conway seemed to violate US federal ethics rules when she urged people to buy Ivanka Trump's brand.

(Source: AFP)

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