Judge dismisses Stormy Daniels’ suit

WASHINGTON — A federal judge dismissed Stormy Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the president made a “hyperbolic statement” against a political adversary.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump in April. The president had tweeted that a man who Daniels said threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with the real estate mogul was “nonexistent.”

Trump tweeted that the composite sketch of the man was a “total con job” and that Daniels was playing the “fake news media for fools.”

In an order handed down Monday, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero said Trump’s statement was protected speech under the First Amendment, and preventing it would hamper the presidency. “Any strongly worded response by a president to another politician or public figure could constitute an action for defamation,” the judge wrote. “This would deprive this country of the ‘discourse’ common to the political process.” The judge’s ruling also entitles Trump to collect attorneys’ fees from Daniels. That amount will be determined later, Harder said.

The defamation claim is separate from another lawsuit against Trump, which is continuing. Daniels was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement in 2016 and is suing to dissolve that contract.