Former actress Stormy Daniels ordered to pay Donald Trump’s lawyers $120,000

Donald Trump lost a round on Tuesday in New York, but at the same time, 3,000 miles from Manhattan, he scored a substantial victory in another court against former porn actress Stormy Daniels, on the origin of his accusation.

The 9th Court of Appeals for the U.S. District of Los Angeles ruled in favor of the former President of the United States, who demanded the actress recover attorney fees he owed to defend herself when she sued him for defamation. Stormy Daniels lost this lawsuit.

Stephanie Clifford, her real name, has been ordered to pay Trump’s lawyers $121,972 (€111,344), in addition to the half million she’s already owed in the case.

The origin of the case is Trump’s tweet. He called it a “complete scam” when Stormy Daniels claimed that an unknown man threatened her in the parking lot to keep her quiet about her affair with Trump – the famous affair was silenced and cost $130,000. Trump should be charged with a felony.

183.35 hours for his lawyers

In response, Stormy Daniels filed a libel suit against her former lover. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in October 2018 on the grounds that the tweet was “rhetorical hyperbole commonly associated with politics and public discourse in the United States.” It was protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing citizens freedom of thought and freedom of speech. Daniels was first ordered to pay $293,000 in legal fees and then another $245,000 on appeal.

Stephanie Clifford attempted to argue before the 9th Circuit that the claim for reimbursement was “unreasonable and excessive”. The judge found him wrong: “Trump’s attorneys reasonably spent the requested 183.35 hours preparing a motion to dismiss, a response to an objection to the motion, two motions to extend, a brief response, and a request for fees,” he listed.