Donald Trump will not have to testify in porn star Stormy Daniels’ lawsuit, judge declares
Demand to question the president and his lawyer under oath is premature, a federal judge says
US President Donald Trump will not have to testify under oath in the lawsuit filed by porn star Stormy Daniels, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Thursday.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, wants to invalidate the non-disclosure agreement she signed days before the 2016 presidential election and has offered to return the US$130,000 she was paid to “set the record straight.”
Trump’s lawyers filed documents in federal court in Los Angeles earlier this month seeking to compel private arbitration in the case and argued that Daniels could owe about US$20 million for violating the agreement.
In a motion filed on Wednesday, Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, asked for a jury trial and sought sworn testimony from Trump and his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, about the payment that was made to Clifford as part of the non-disclosure agreement.
But in Thursday’s ruling, the judge thew out the requests, saying that they were premature.