NEW YORK — Stormy Daniels today filed a defamation suit against President Trump for the contents of a tweet about the sketch of a man who allegedly threatened her in 2011.
The lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan federal court focuses on an April 18 post on Trump's Twitter account in which he reacts to another user's tweet about the sketch.
"A sketch years later about a nonexistent man," Trump's tweet said. "A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!"
Daniels claims a man in a hoodie — who was between 5’9” and 6’ tall, “lean and fit,” is in his 30s to early 40s and has light facial hair — approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 and warned her to “leave Mr. Trump alone.”
Daniels said the threat occurred shortly after she had agreed to sell her story about Trump to InTouch magazine for $15,000.
The suit alleged Trump's tweet amounts to an accusation that Daniels fabricated the threat and exposed her to ridicule and violent threats.
“Mr. Trump's statement falsely attacks the veracity of [Daniels’] account ofthe threatening incident that took place in 2011,” according to the suit. “It also operates to accuse [Daniels] of committing a crime under New York law, as well as the law of numerous other states, in that it effectively states that [Daniels] falsely accused an individual of committing a crime against her when no such crime occurred.
“Mr. Trump's statement is false and defamatory. In making the statement, Mr. Trump used his national and international audience of millions of people to make a false factual statement to denigrate and attack [Daniels],” the suit said.
“Mr. Trump knew that his false, disparaging statement would be read by people around the world, as well as widely reported, and that [Daniels] would be subjected to threats of violence, economic harm and reputational damage as a result.”
This is the second lawsuit that Daniels has filed against Trump. Earlier this year she sued him and his longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to dissolve a nondisclosure agreement she signed days before the election in exchange for $130,000.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero agreed to delay that case for three months and set a hearing for July 27. Cohen asked for the delay after FBI agents raided his home and office earlier this month.
