New York Daily News

Hell, yeah, I am suing Don: Stormy

- BY NANCY DILLON

LOS ANGELES — Stormy Daniels is moving full steam ahead with plans to sue President Trump for defamation, her lawyer said Friday after a tense court hearing in Los Angeles.

“We’re filing a separate action against Mr. Trump for his defamatory outrageous, statements earlier this week where he effectivel­y called my client a liar and stated that she was trying to pull a con on the American people,” Michael Avenatti said as he addressed media outside the hearing related to a prior lawsuit Daniels filed against Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

That suit seeks to invalidate the $130,000 “hush agreement” she signed in 2016 to stay silent about her claims she had an intimate relationsh­ip with Trump in 2006. It was filed in early March and was later amended to add a defamation claim against Cohen.

“I very much look forward to placing Mr. Trump under oath and asking him about the basis for the outlandish, outrageous baseless statements. And that day will come, it may not come next month or next year, but it is going to come,” Avenatti vowed.

In a tweet Wednesday, Trump scoffed at the sketch Avenatti released depicting the man who allegedly threatened Daniels years ago for claiming she slept with Trump.

Speaking to the Daily News on Friday, Avenatti blasted the tweet as “ridiculous.”

“It’s absolutely irresponsi­ble for anybody to do that, let alone the President of the United States,” he said.

During extended arguments Friday, Cohen’s lawyer Brent Blakely argued his client needs the 90-day timeout because it’s possible he might face a criminal indictment.

His office, home and hotel room was raided by the FBI earlier this month.

“They seized all of Mr. Cohen’s files, cell phones, computers, contracts and a number of records including all of his records in this case,” Blakely argued.

A ruling on Cohen’s request is expected in the next two weeks.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States