Carlos Barria
Ivanka Trump has been ordered to testify in a trademark infringement lawsuit involving one of her company’s shoe designs. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest on Friday rejected a request by Ivanka Trump’s lawyers that she be exempt from a deposition in the lawsuit against her company IT Collection LLC. Her lawyers said she had no involvement in designing the shoe at the center of the dispute. But Forrest ruled that Ivanka Trump must testify since her public statements give “a reasonable inference that the shoe at issue would not have been released without her approval.” The lawsuit, brought by Aquazzura Italia SRL, seeks unspecified damages over the “Hettie” shoe, which the company says is “virtually identical” to its own “Wild Thing Shoe.” While President Trump’s daughter said she had “no involvement” in the shoe's design, she was previously quoted in interviews saying she takes part in designing all of her company’s shoes.