Stormy Daniels is now suing Trump's lawyer
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published