Stormy Daniels is now suing Trump's lawyer

Stormy Daniels.
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Adult film star Stormy Daniels is taking her legal battle with President Trump one step further.

On Monday, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, amended her current lawsuit to also name Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen as a defendant. The existing lawsuit, directed at Trump himself, seeks to free Daniels from a 2016 nondisclosure agreement by claiming the contract she signed is invalid because Trump did not sign it. Her updated lawsuit Monday implicates Cohen, arguing that he has defamed her by suggesting she is lying about her alleged 2006 affair with Trump.

Daniels received $130,000 in 2016, apparently in exchange for her silence about the affair. Cohen has admitted he facilitated the payment, claiming he offered his own personal funds without Trump's knowledge. Trump — at the time a presidential candidate — has denied that the affair occurred.

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Cohen is now even more deeply involved in the ongoing legal battle, as Daniels claims that a statement he made last month was meant to convey that Daniels is lying. "Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause you harm or damage," Cohen said in the statement, which was disseminated to various media outlets, in an attempt to explain why he would pay thousands to cover up claims he says are false.

The updated lawsuit now also alleges that the payment Daniels received violated federal campaign finance laws, reports the Post. The expansion of the lawsuit comes just one day after Daniels' appearance in a broadcast interview on 60 Minutes. In the segment, Daniels broke her nondisclosure agreement to provide details on the alleged affair and threats she has received to stay silent. Read about why what Daniels says matters here at The Week.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.