Stormy Daniels, the blonde bombshell of the blue movie trade whose affair with President Trump turned into a legal war after he was elected, might soon have another legal bill beside the one from her attorney. That would be the one from Trump’s attorneys.
That’s because a federal judge in California dismissed Daniels’ defamation claim against Trump and ordered her to pay his legal fees.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, known publicly as the “creepy porn lawyer,” has already filed for an appeal, but that doesn’t soften the blow to his wounded reputation, at least among Democrats.
Lawsuit Dismissed
The lawsuit’s origins are in Daniels’ claim that in 2011 a man threatened to harm her if she revealed the affair. She released a sketch of the man, then Trump tweeted that her claim was bogus: “A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!”
Daniels dubiously claimed the tweet defamed her because it accused her of falsely accusing someone of a crime. She also claimed the tweet accused her of committing a crime. As well, she claimed, Trump acted with malice, because he knew what he wrote was false, or a reckless disregard of the truth, because he could not have known whether a man threatened her.
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Ruling for the United States District Court for the Central District, the judge did not agree, to put it mildly. He ruled that Trump’s tweet was “rhetorical hyperbole” of the kind politicians spew all the time, and thus, falls under the protection of the First Amendment to the federal Constitution.
“No amount of spin or commentary by Stormy Daniels or her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, can truthfully characterize today’s ruling in any way other than total victory for President Trump and total defeat for Stormy Daniels,” wrote Trump’s attorney, Charles Harder, in an e-mail to the Washington Post.
The Donald was effusive: “‘Federal Judge throws out Stormy Daniels lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.’ @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!”
“Creepy Porn Lawyer” Avenatti
Not surprisingly, Daniels and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, were none too pleased with the decision, and quickly fired off a notice of appeal to the federal Ninth Circuit Court.
Daniels departed the legal field of battle with an attack on the size of the president’s manhood: “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your president. In addition to his…umm…shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self control on Twitter AGAIN! And perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, Tiny.”
Avenatti chimed in with the usual bluster and name-calling:
You are a disgusting misogynist and an embarrassment to the United States. Bring everything you have, because we are going to demonstrate to the world what a complete shyster and liar you are. How many other women did you cheat on your wife with while you had a baby at home?
.@realDonaldTrump – tens of millions of Americans are tired of your fraud, lies, and corruption. They are equally tired of your attacks on women, especially the ones who you have had sex with while cheating on your wives. We (and the UN) are laughing AT YOU, not with you. #Basta
Avenatti’s Credibility
Avenatti, who proposes himself as a candidate for president in 2020, hasn’t had much success lately in hitting his targets.
After two women, without evidence or corroborating witnesses, accused U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sex crimes, Avenatti pushed out a third claim through an erratic client. She averred that Kavanaugh was the teenage criminal mastermind of weekend gang-rape parties.
The preposterous story fell apart when that client, Julie Swetnick, admitted not only repeatedly returning to the parties despite her sure knowledge of what was happening, but also her uncertainty about the details she described, including those involving Kavanaugh. As well, an old acquaintance stepped forward with details about Swetnick’s past, which is itself littered with tax liens and lawsuits. Some of those appear to have been attempts to shake down corporations for money.
Even Democrats said that Swetnick’s claims were so ludicrous, and Avenatti’s bluster so over-the-top, they likely helped Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Photo: AP Images
