Why porn star Stormy Daniels has sued Donald Trump
Adult-film actor Stormy Daniels has created ripples by coming out in the open about her alleged relationship with US President Donald Trump. Daniels has claimed that Trump never signed a nondisclosure agreement to keep her quiet about the "intimate" relationship between them and has sued Trump over it.
While the US president has categorically rubbished Daniels allegations, here's a look at what the issue is about.
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles, claiming the agreement is invalid and she is free to publicly discuss her relationship with Trump.
The lawsuit, which Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, published in a tweet, says she signed both the agreement and a side letter on October 28, 2016, days before the 2016 US presidential election. Clifford has said she signed the agreement using her stage name.
Earlier today, we filed this complaint seeking a ct order voiding the alleged “hush” agreement between our client S. Clifford aka Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump. https://t.co/upa9u10MqR
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 7, 2018
The lawsuit goes on to say that while Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen, signed the document the same day, Trump never signed it.
The "hush agreement", as the deal is referred to in the lawsuit, mentions Donald Trump as David Dennison and Stephanie Clifford as Peggy Peterson.
However, the true identities of both Trump and Clifford are allegedly revealed in the "side letter".
Clifford's lawsuit has asked the Los Angeles County Superior Court to declare the agreement and side agreement "invalid and unenforceable".
In a 2011 interview with In Touch magazine, the actor said she began a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006. She said the liaison began shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to their son Barron.
According to the lawsuit, Clifford and Trump had an "intimate relationship" that lasted from the summer of 2006 well into 2007, including meetings in Lake Tahoe and at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The relationship reportedly began after the two met at a Lake Tahoe golf tournament in 2006.
The reports re-emerged in January when the Wall Street Journal reported that she was paid to sign a non-disclosure agreement in the run up to the 2016 election, which prevented her from discussing the alleged liaison.
Cohen has said he paid Clifford $130,000 of his own money in 2016, the year Trump was elected president, but said neither the Trump Organisation nor Trump's campaign was a party to the transaction, though he declined to say publicly what it was for.
In return for the money, Clifford was not to disclose any confidential information about Trump.
The suit alleges Cohen had tried to keep Clifford from talking about the relationship as recently as February 27.
"The attempts to intimidate Clifford into silence and 'shut her up' to 'protect Trump' continue unabated," the lawsuit read.
Cohen, meanwhile, has asserted that the payment made to Clifford was lawful and not a campaign contribution or campaign expenditure.