Former adult film star Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump Tuesday, claiming he never signed a non-disclosure agreement.
According to the lawsuit, Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen arranged for her to sign the agreement on Oct. 28, 2016 and directed for $130,000 to be paid into the trust account of her then attorney. In exchange, Clifford agreed not to talk about her intimate relationship with Trump or any of his other sexual partners. The lawsuit suggests that Trump knew that the money was used to influence the outcome of the presidential election.
“Mr. Trump, with the assistance of his attorney, Mr. Cohen, aggressively sought to silence Ms. Clifford as part of an effort to avoid her telling the truth, thus helping to ensure he won the presidential election,” the lawsuit said.
Clifford claimed that Cohen used intimidation and coercive tactics to force her to sign a false statement, denying any sexual involvement with Trump. She said doesn’t have to keep quiet about her affair with Trump because he never signed the agreement, making it invalid.
Clifford’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, has asked the Los Angeles County Superior Court to proclaim that the agreement was never formed, and therefore doesn’t exist.
“Mr. Trump did not sign. We believe that that was so that he could later claim deniability, and therefore, from a legal perspective, we believe she’s free to talk,” Avenatti said.
While being interviewed on “Today,” Avenatti said Clifford will be able to tell her story if the lawsuit succeeds.
“She believes it’s important that the public learn the truth about what happened,” he said. “I think it’s time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who is telling the truth.”
Avenatti added that Clifford would be willing to give back the $130,000 because she doesn’t want to profit from her story.
Clifford said that she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006 in Lake Tahoe, Nev. and they began an affair that lasted a year. Their sexual relations occurred just months after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron.
In January, Cohen told NBC News that Trump continues to deny the rumors regarding the affair with Clifford. He also said Trump acknowledges the payment made to Clifford, but didn’t reveal what it was for.
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