A former Playboy model who says she had an affair with President Trump is suing the media company that paid her to stay silent about the allegations back in 2016, The New York Times reports. The model, Karen McDougal, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to be released from the agreement.
The New York Times reports that McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., the parent company of The National Enquirer, in the summer of 2016. The media company then buried the story, never publishing her allegations. David Pecker, the CEO of AMI, once called Trump a "personal friend," Rolling Stone noted last month.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, McDougal argues the contract is invalid because AMI and her lawyer at the time misled her about the agreement. She also alleges that Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, was secretly involved in the negotiations to bury the story and provide payment.
McDougal's allegations and details of AMI's payment were first reported by The Wall Street Journal in November 2016, as were strikingly similar allegations from adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is also involved in litigation to speak freely about Trump. After McDougal spoke of the 2006 affair in an interview with The New Yorker published last month, AMI told her that "any further disclosures" would be considered a breach of contract and "cause considerable monetary damages," reports the Times.
Trump has denied all allegations of an affair with both McDougal and Daniels. Read the full report on McDougal's lawsuit at The New York Times.