President Donald Trump recently prevailed in the defamation lawsuit brought against him by former adult film star Stormy Daniels — real name Stephanie Clifford. Daniels was ordered to pay Trump’s legal fees after the judge dismissed her case.
Trump’s attorneys submitted the final “bill” to the court on Monday and requested that Daniels pay nearly $800,000 in legal fees. The sum includes roughly $390,000 for more than 500 billable hours, plus an equal amount in penalties to deter others from filing similarly frivolous lawsuits against the president.
Charles Harder, the lead attorney for Trump’s team, defended the hefty final sum to the judge by explaining the “unprecedented” nature of defending a sitting U.S. president from a highly-publicized yet frivolous defamation lawsuit.
“This action is virtually unprecedented in American legal history,” Harder argued to the court. He said Daniels had “not only brought a meritless claim for defamation against the sitting president of the United States, but she also has engaged, along with her attorney, in massive national publicity.”
An “unprecedented” lawsuit
Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ notorious attorney, called the suggested penalty “absurd and outrageous.”
“You can’t just pick a number out of thin air in an effort to put my client under Donald Trump’s thumb and intimidate her,” Avenatti added.
For his part, Judge S. James Otero declined to issue a ruling on the legal fees on Monday, nor did he indicate whether he would support the requested sum or come up with a number of his own. While Otero questioned the number of hours that had been billed in the case, he appeared to accept the associated rates — as much as $840 per hour — as being within reason.
“Rhetorical hyperbole” isn’t defamation
Daniels has alleged that Trump had an affair with her in 2006, an allegation that Trump has denied. In a separate lawsuit filed against Trump and his former attorney Michael Cohen, Daniels is attempting to extricate herself from a non-disclosure agreement she signed in exchange for $130,000 in 2016. In spite of the NDA, she came forward with her story, which included allegations of a threat she had received to remain quiet in 2011.
Daniels had a composite sketch drawn of the mystery man who allegedly threatened her. It didn’t take long for people to notice that the sketch strongly resembled Daniels’ ex-husband, which Trump mentioned in an April tweet, writing, “A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”
A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)! https://t.co/9Is7mHBFda
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018
In the defamation lawsuit, Daniels claimed to have been defamed by the “total con job” phrase, but the judge ruled that Trump’s tweet was mere “rhetorical hyperbole” that was fully protected by the First Amendment. He dismissed the case and awarded legal fees in the matter to Trump, which brings us to where we are now.
[show_poll poll_id=1114]
Daniels and Avenatti thought they could sue the president over hyperbolic remarks made on social media, a laughable claim given all that is said on a daily basis by others on social media — including Avenatti — that could be considered defamatory or libelous.
But the judge wasn’t buying what they were selling, and now Daniels could be on the hook for nearly $800,000 for wasting the time of the court and Trump’s attorneys in dealing with her frivolous claims.
432 Responses
397925 811978You produced some decent points there. I looked on the internet for that problem and located most individuals goes along with along together with your internet site. 277739
291249 335464Thanks for the post. I like your writing style – Im trying to start a weblog myself, I think I may read thru all your posts for some suggestions! Thanks once much more. 982037
I’m the business owner of JustCBD brand (justcbdstore.com) and I am currently trying to broaden my wholesale side of business. I am hoping anybody at targetdomain give me some advice ! I considered that the most effective way to accomplish this would be to talk to vape companies and cbd stores. I was hoping if anybody at all could recommend a trustworthy site where I can get CBD Shops Business Data I am presently reviewing creativebeartech.com, theeliquidboutique.co.uk and wowitloveithaveit.com. Not sure which one would be the very best choice and would appreciate any guidance on this. Or would it be simpler for me to scrape my own leads? Ideas?
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly pleased I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
921648 8235You ought to be extremely astute at research and writing. This shows up in your original and unique content material. I agree with your primary points on this topic. This content material need to be seen by much more readers. 346231
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this site.
I’m excited to uncover this site. I need to to thank you for ones time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new information on your website.
Hi, There’s no doubt that your web site may be having internet browser compatibility problems. Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, excellent site!
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always helpful to read through articles from other writers and use a little something from their sites.
I enjoy reading through an article that will make people think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Thanks!
Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!
I simply want to say I am newbie to blogs and certainly enjoyed you’re blog site. Probably I’m planning to bookmark your blog . You actually have exceptional writings. Thanks for revealing your webpage.
615936 926505Significant other, this exceptional web site is fabolous, i merely adore it 808715
I simply want to tell you that I’m newbie to blogging and site-building and certainly enjoyed you’re blog. Most likely I’m planning to bookmark your site . You surely have tremendous articles. With thanks for revealing your website page.
68555 756292I agree with most of your points, but a couple of require to be discussed further, I will hold a small speak with my partners and possibly I will appear for you some suggestion soon. 969427
978898 396683Enjoyed reading via this, really very good stuff, thankyou . 201487
Shop; Unique Functions. Simple Product Layouts. Post with review. Advanced Product Layout. Best conversion pages. Frontend Search · Listing example …
How does Ibogaine cure addiction
all the time i used to read smaller articles that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this post which I am reading at this time.
Love watching sunset !
Best view i have ever seen !
Love watching sunset !
243698 594078This design is steller! You clearly know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (effectively, almostHaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and a lot more than that, how you presented it. Too cool! 383200
Love watching sunset !
731733 674074Thanks so a lot for another post. I be able to get that kind of details information. friend, and exactly. 161958
No Contact Temperature Screening
Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a remark is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any method you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any help is very much appreciated.
I love the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great content.
Hello.This post was really fascinating, especially because I was searching for thoughts on this topic last Saturday.
vedonlyönti bonukset
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I’m very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there.
Hello. impressive job. I did not anticipate this. This is a fantastic story. Thanks!
As a Newbie, I am always exploring online for articles that can help me. Thank you
Have you ever thought about publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based on the same information you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your theme. Kudos
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
Yet another issue is that video games are generally serious in nature with the principal focus on learning rather than amusement. Although, it has an entertainment part to keep your kids engaged, every single game is generally designed to work on a specific expertise or area, such as numbers or research. Thanks for your write-up.
I have observed that online degree is getting common because attaining your college degree online has turned into a popular option for many people. A large number of people have not necessarily had an opportunity to attend a conventional college or university yet seek the raised earning possibilities and a better job that a Bachelors Degree gives you. Still some others might have a qualification in one field but wish to pursue some thing they already have an interest in.