Attorneys for porn star Stormy Daniels are challenging a request by President Donald Trump’s lawyers to stake claim to a settlement between Daniels and the city of Columbus.
A federal judge last year said Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, must pay Trump nearly $293,000 for his attorneys' fees and another $1,000 in sanctions after her defamation suit against him was dismissed.
Earlier this year, the city of Columbus reached a $450,000 settlement with Daniels over the porn actress' arrest at a strip club in 2018. Trump's lawyers noted in a filing to the court involved in the Columbus judgment last week that Clifford owes him $293,052.
Daniels’ attorneys said in a Wednesday filing that Clifford has an active appeal in her defamation suit and Trump’s request should be deemed “null and void.”
Daniels was arrested at the Columbus strip club Sirens under Ohio's so-called "Community Defense Act" in July 2018, along with two other dancers. The law prohibits physical contact between regular adult performers and audience members.
But City Attorney Zach Klein dropped the charges two days after her arrest, arguing the law was unenforceable. He dropped charges against the other women soon after.
Timeline: Investigation Of Columbus Police Vice Unit
In her civil suit, Daniels alleged her arrest was politically motivated because she had begun speaking publicly about an affair she had with President Donald Trump. She named detectives Shana Keckley, Mary Praither, Steve Rosser and Whitney Lancaster, plus two unnamed officers, as defendants.
An internal police investigation determined Daniels wasimproperly arrested, but didn’t find the officers were politically motivated.
