Summary: Stormy Daniels is suing Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
Following her highly-rated “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday, porn star Stormy Daniels filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen the next day.
According to CNN, Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti filed the lawsuit in California. The complaint stated that Cohen’s denial of Daniels’ allegation that she had an affair with Trump was equivalent to calling her a liar.
“It was reasonably understood Mr. Cohen meant to convey that Ms. (Stephanie) Clifford [Daniels’ real name] is a liar,” the complaint stated. “Mr. Cohen made the statement knowing it was false or had serious doubts about the truth of the statements.”
The lawsuit came one day after Daniels aired a tell-all with “60 Minutes.” Speaking with Anderson Cooper, Daniels talked about the 2006-2007 affair she allegedly had with Donald Trump and the money she received in 2016 in order to not speak about it during his run for president.
The long-awaited interview came almost three months after it was revealed in January that someone in Trump’s camp had paid Daniels $130,000 in 2016 so that she would sign an NDA.
Trump has vehemently denied the affair, which allegedly occurred right after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron. The story of Daniels and Trump’s relationship is salacious in nature, but legal experts have said that it should be taken seriously because it could have broken campaign finance laws.
Monday’s lawsuit is part of Daniels’ ongoing strategy to fight Cohen and Trump, according to CNN. Earlier this month, she filed a lawsuit against them, stating that the non-disclosure agreement she had signed in 2016 was no longer valid because Cohen admitted that he and he alone had administered it. She argued that since Trump did not sign the NDA that it was not a valid agreement between them.
CNN legal expert Jeffrey Toobin said that Daniels’ latest lawsuit may be a way for her to get Cohen and the President to give statements under oath.
“Those are, I think, the key political issues here, and filing this lawsuit gives Avenatti another opportunity perhaps to get Cohen and perhaps Trump under oath,” Toobin said.
On Monday, Daniels’ attorney appeared on “CBS Good Morning” to discuss his client’s “60 Minutes” interview and how she has endured abuse from Trump supporters ever since she came forward with her story. He also went on to insult Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, calling his behavior “thuggish.”
“We’re only getting started,” Avenatti said. “Michael Cohen has zero credibility. We’re going to prove it. His statements thus far in connection with this matter are laughable. This is a man who has a history of thuggish behavior, using intimidation tactics, and trying to step on little people. And as it relates to my client, it’s going to come to an end and we’re going to show the American people exactly who Michael Cohen is.”
Avenatti is a Los Angeles-based attorney with almost twenty years of experience. He graduated from George Washington University School of Law in 1999 and earned a A.B from the University of Pennsylvania. Before forming his own law firm, Eagan Avenatti, LLP, he worked at O’Melveny & Myers and another boutique.
According to Avenatti’s website, the attorney has legally battled Donald Trump before when he previously worked on an idea theft case against Trump, “The Apprentice,” and “The Apprentice’s” producer Mark Burnett.
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