On Tuesday, Dec. 11, a federal judge ordered adult film actress Stormy Daniels to pay President Donald Trump about $293,000 in legal fees and sanctions after her defamation suit against him was dismissed.
Trump’s lawyers had requested about $389,000 in legal fees, but the judge, S. James Otero of United States District Court in California, said the number of billable hours was “excessive” and cut the amount by 25 percent to about $292,000.
Judge Otero wrote that Daniels “is already being deterred from filing meritless defamation claims,” ordering her to pay $1,000 in sanctions.
In a statement, one of Trump’s lawyers, Charles J. Harder, said, “The court’s order, along with the court’s prior order dismissing Stormy Daniels’ defamation case against the president, together constitute a total victory for the president, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case.”
“A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools,” Trump wrote about Daniels in April after she said an unnamed man had made a threat against her in 2011.
Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ attorney, has filed an appeal in the case. He defended his client on Twitter Tuesday, saying she would “never have to pay a dime.”
“Not one penny. It is the end of the first quarter, not the end of the game,” Avenatti wrote. “And if you actually read any of the filings in the [nondisclosure agreement] case, you would realize they are going to owe at least $1,500,000.”
Daniels is further suing Trump in a separate matter related to the nondisclosure agreement that prevented her from speaking about the alleged affair. She claims the deal was never valid because Trump didn’t sign it.
By: Maytinee Kramer
