Judge Tosses Stormy Daniels Lawsuit Against Trump

Stephanie Clifford a.k.a. Stormy Daniels

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed adult film actress Stormy Daniels’s defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump and ordered her to pay his attorney’s fees, saying a tweet the president had written referring to her was protected by free-speech laws.

Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said they would appeal the decision, according to Reuters.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Daniels has said that in 2011, a man approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot and threatened her after she had agreed to talk about her experience with Trump in an interview. She then released a sketch of the man.

Trump responded by dismissing her claims in a tweet, saying, “A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”

Daniels, who has also sued over a $130,000 hush money agreement over the alleged encounter, sued over the tweet, claiming it made her appear to be a liar. Attorneys for Trump have sought to dismiss both lawsuits.