A US federal judge in Los Angeles on Thursday rejected a motion by adult film actress Stormy Daniels to depose US President Donald Trump over an alleged affair with the performer.
Her attorney, Michael Avenatti, said he plans to refile the request once attorneys for Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, file their formal response to Daniels’ lawsuit trying to nullify a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that she signed last year.
Avenatti, whose motion requested two-hour depositions of Trump and Cohen, argued that both are expected to file papers forcing the case into private arbitration “to hide the facts from public view.”
“We expect this any day,” Avenatti tweeted in response to the ruling by US District Judge S. James Otero.
Otero said that although Trump and Cohen had stated their intention to compel arbitration, they had not yet filed a petition.
“If such a petition were filed, a number of the questions raised in [Daniels’] motion might be answered in the petition, thus limiting the need for discovery on these issues,” the judge said.
“If such a petition is never filed, plaintiff’s motion is moot. Accordingly, plaintiff’s motion is premature and must be denied,” he said.
Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — on Sunday gave a blockbuster interview to CBS’ 60 Minutes, describing a brief affair she alleges she had with Trump more than a decade ago.
White House press officials have repeatedly said Trump denies having unprotected sex with Daniels in 2006, although the president himself has remained uncharacteristically silent.
Daniels recieved US$130,000 from Cohen for the NDA shortly before the 2016 presidential election, sued on March 6, alleging that Trump never signed the “hush agreement,” rendering it null and void.
She on Monday amended the lawsuit, adding a defamation allegation against Cohen, who has accused Daniels of lying about the alleged affair and her accusation that someone physically threatened her after she went public.
Cohen has filed papers alleging that he could seek as much as US$20 million from the actress for breaching the NDA.
Avenatti argued in the court papers that questioning Trump is critical for resolving the issue of whether he was aware of the NDA that Daniels signed.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS