Stormy Daniels ordered to pay Trump $293K in legal fees

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Trump calls Stormy Daniels 'Horseface' after suit dismissed

The president lashed out at the adult-film star and her attorney, vowing to "go after" the pair.

LOS ANGELES, California -- A judge has ordered Stormy Daniels to pay $293,000 in legal fees and sanctions to President Donald Trump following the dismissal of a defamation case she had filed against him.

Daniels, the porn star whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had filed suit against Trump over a tweet that she claimed defamed her.

The suit was dismissed in November. Trump had asked the court to order Daniels to pay $389,000 in legal fees and the same amount in sanctions. Her legal team had sought fees around $25,000 and $1 in sanctions.

U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero of the Central District of California ordered Daniels to pay $292,000 in legal fees and $1,000 in sanctions.

"The court's order, along with the court's prior order dismissing Stormy Daniels' defamation case against the President, together constitute a total victory for the President, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case," Trump's Los Angeles-based attorney Charles J. Harder said in a statement.

Daniels and her attorney Michael Avenatti are appealing the dismissal of the defamation case.

Avenatti tweeted: "Trump and his attorney's attempt to fool the public about the importance of the attorneys' fees in the defamation case, which are a fraction of what they owe my client in the main NDA case, is an absolute joke. People are smarter than that."

Daniels is also continuing to fight a legal battle against Trump over a non-disclosure agreement she signed during the 2016 campaign to keep quiet about a sexual encounter between her and Trump years earlier.

ABC News contributed to this report.

Report a correction or typo