In a recent decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California, Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress, has been ordered to pay almost $122,000 of former President Donald Trump’s legal fees. These fees were accumulated in connection with her failed defamation lawsuit against Trump.
The ruling came on the same day that Trump made history as the only ex-president to be charged with a crime. He pleaded not guilty to a 34-count felony indictment accusing him of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up allegations of extramarital affairs with Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal during his first White House run.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had claimed that she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement just days before the 2016 presidential election. She sued him for defamation after he dismissed her claims of being threatened to keep quiet about the alleged tryst as a “total con job”. However, her case was dismissed by a judge in 2018.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has now ruled that Trump’s attorneys “reasonably spent” more than 183 hours on an appeal of the case. However, the court denied a request for an additional $5,150 in other fees because it wasn’t itemized.
Overall, Daniels has now been ordered to pay more than $600,000 in Trump’s legal fees. This includes $300,000 in attorney’s fees that she was previously ordered to pay. Following the previous award, Daniels had stated that she would go to jail before paying a penny.
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There has been no immediate response from Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, to the recent ruling. The decision is a blow to Daniels, who will now have to pay a significant amount of money towards Trump’s legal fees. It remains to be seen whether she will choose to appeal the latest ruling or not.
