A US federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, had filed against US President Donald Trump, the Hill reported on Monday.
READ MORE: Trump Told Son, Lawyers to Keep Stormy Daniels Quiet About Affair — Report
“Order granting defendant Donald J. Trump's special motion to dismiss/strike the complaint,” the court filing said.
BREAKING: Federal judge dismisses Stormy Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against President Trump. https://t.co/x4GyNljvU0 pic.twitter.com/pGEq3JguJe
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 15 октября 2018 г.
Daniels filed the lawsuit against Trump in April, condemning a tweet he posted about her interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” in which she described a man who she claimed threatened her and her daughter, telling them not to speak about Daniels’ alleged affair with Trump.
She later released a sketch of that man, which Trump posted on Twitter alongside a photo of Daniels’ ex-husband. The US president called Daniels’ story of being threatened a “total con job” and “Fake News.”
A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)! https://t.co/9Is7mHBFda
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 18 апреля 2018 г.
Daniels argued in the lawsuit that Trump had defamed her by accusing of fabricating the alleged crime and demanded $75,000 as compensation.
District Judge James Otero wrote in his decision that Trump posted the tweet “as a rejoinder against an individual challenging him in the public arena.”
“This is the definition of projected rhetorical hyperbole,” Otero ruled, repeating a suggestion he had made earlier in September.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, said on Monday night that his client’s other cases against Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen will still proceed “unaffected.” In a tweet, which was later deleted, Avenatti suggested that he and his client would appeal “the dismissal of the defamation cause of action and are confident in a reversal.”
Be clear — even assuming Trump is owed attys fees from the defamation case (if he wins the appeal), they will be dwarfed by the fees he and Cohen will be required to pay in connection with the NDA case. Not even close. Yet more “winning” from Trump.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) 16 октября 2018 г.
Trump’s lawyer Charles Harder called the ruling a "total defeat" for Daniels, saying that “no amount of spin or commentary by Stormy Daniels or her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, can truthfully characterize today’s ruling in any way other than a total victory for President Trump.”
Daniels is separately suing Trump and Cohen in an attempt to void a 2016 nondisclosure agreement that prevents her from speaking publicly about her alleged affair with Trump.
