US judge tosses out Stormy Daniels' defamation suit against Trump
Donald Trump scored a legal victory yesterday against pornstar Stormy Daniels when a federal US judge rejected her defamation suit against him. US District Judge S James Otero in Los Angeles tossed out the defamation suit Daniels filed this year after Trump tweeted she had invented threats by a "nonexistent" man to silence her over claims the pair slept together over a decade ago.
Daniels also has a separate lawsuit against Trump
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, still has a separate lawsuit against the President linked to $130,000 in hush money she was paid by Trump's lawyer shortly before the November 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about an alleged affair.
Judge says Trump's tweet constitutes 'rhetorical hyperbole'
"The Court agrees with Mr. Trump's argument because the tweet in question constitutes 'rhetorical hyperbole' normally associated with politics and public discourse in the US," Otero said. "The First Amendment (of the US Constitution) protects this type of rhetorical statement," the judge said. Otero ruled that billionaire Trump is entitled to have his lawyers' fees paid as part of the ruling.
Here is what Trump tweeted which led to Daniels' lawsuit
Daniels sued after Trump tweeted in April about her release of a sketch of a man she said warned her in a Las Vegas parking lot not to talk about their tryst. "A sketch years later about a nonexistent man," Trump tweeted. "A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it!)," he tweeted.
Trump's ex-lawyer talked about the hush payments made by him
The President's former longtime lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations in the form of hush payments during the 2016 campaign to two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump. He said he had paid them at Trump's request. Although Cohen did not name the women, they were believed to be Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump's story about Cohen's payments changed multiple times
As the hush payments were intended to influence the outcome of the elections, they violated laws governing campaign contributions. Trump's story about Cohen's payments has changed multiple times. In September, Cohen's lawyer said that, following the August guilty plea, Cohen provided "critical information" to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign colluded.
Trump was earlier sued for defamation by Summer Zervos
Separately, the US President was sued for defamation in 2017 by Summer Zervos, who was a contestant on Trump's former reality TV show 'The Apprentice'. She claims Trump lied when responding to her allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped her in 2007. US media reported in September that Trump would provide sworn written responses in the case.
