Stormy Daniels loses defamation fight, owes Trump almost $300,000

A federal appeals court ordered Porn star Stormy Daniels to pay former President Donald Trump nearly USD 300,000 in legal bills after it dismissed her bid to overturn a lower court decision in her failed defamation lawsuit against him.

The court has put an end to Stormy Daniels' defamation suit against former President Donald Trump. Daniels had claimed that she had intimate relationship with Trump between 2006 and 2007. According to her, Trump's former longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid her $130,000 as part of an alleged hush deal prior to the 2016 US presidential election.

The fees and sanctions were awarded by U.S. District Judge S. James Otero to Trump 2 months after he dismissed Daniels' defamation case. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleged she had a one-night affair with Trump in 2006. She had sued Trump over his tweet denying her claim that he threatened her against going public about their alleged affair. Trump has denied the affair.

That feud involved both of their former lawyers being convicted of felonies that were connected to the effects of her claim.

The Ninth Circuit on Friday said it had no jurisdiction over Daniels’ appeal of the attorneys’ fees issue because she waited longer than 30 days to file a notice of appeal of a federal judge granting the fees to Trump.

The court order awarded Trump's counsel USD 292,053 in attorney fees and USD 1,000 in sanctions.

Daniels former lawyer Michael Avenatti was last month found guilty by a federal jury of robbing her of $300,000. 

Trump on Monday said, “The lawsuit was a purely political stunt that never should have started, or allowed to happen, and I am pleased that my lawyers were able to bring it to a successful conclusion after the court fully rejected her appeal,” Trump said. “Now all I have to do is wait for all of the money she owes me.”

“P.S. The Fake News probably won’t report this story!” he added.