Former President Donald Trump has been granted roughly $122,000 in legal expenses from Stormy Daniels, the pornstar who accepted hush money during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Eric Trump, his son, tweeted that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted his father this sum, in addition to the approximately $600,000 she previously owed him.
Stormy Daniels has been ordered to pay another $121k to Donald Trump for a frivolous lawsuit she filed that was laughed out of court. The courts in California have ordered Daniels pay Trump more than $600k total in awarded legal fees. https://t.co/09kRsx9730
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 5, 2023
Trump’s attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, acknowledged the award and said her company jointly earned more than $600,000 in attorney fee awards in the “meritless action brought by Stormy Daniels.”
Not Guilty
This announcement comes after the former president pled not guilty to 34 charges of first-degree felony, fabricating corporate documents. These allegations, which come from the payment of hush money, result from Alvin Bragg’s multiyear investigation.
The probe is examining payments of six figures made to Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed to have had sexual experiences with Trump before he entered politics.
Trump rejected these claims and any misconduct involving money; on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Three thousand miles away from his New York legal drama, Donald Trump secured a substantial victory in another court after Stormy Daniels was ordered to pay Trump’s attorneys just over $120,000 in legal fees. https://t.co/by8WypcEUx
— CNN (@CNN) April 5, 2023
Pride
Eric Trump, the son of the former president, tweeted about the news, stating that he is “extremely proud” of his father and that this is a “major victory for justice and the rule of law.”
Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ former attorney, described the judgment as “stupid” and “another instance of Trump’s misuse of the court system.” Yet, Avenatti also faces legal issues, including allegations of fraud and extortion.
Since early 2018, when news of the hush money payment initially surfaced, Trump and Daniels have been engaged in continuing legal disputes.
Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 presidential race.
Trump has denied the affair, but acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the money. Cohen has subsequently been convicted of breaches of campaign finance laws relating to the payment.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
