Stormy Daniels' lawyers argue for timely lawyer-fee payments
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge should grant attorney fees to lawyers who represented porn actress Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against Ohio's capital city before competing claims on Daniels' $450,000 settlement are dealt with, including a claim by President Donald Trump, Daniels' lawyers argued in a court filing.
A federal judge last year said Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, must pay Trump nearly $293,000 for his attorneys' fees and another $1,000 in sanctions after her defamation suit against him was dismissed.
Columbus agreed this year to pay Daniels $450,000 over her arrest at a strip club in 2018. In response, lawyers for Trump filed a motion in the court handling Daniels' settlement with the city of Columbus noting that Daniels owes the president $293,052.
Daniels' lawyers said competing claims for settlement dollars don't have an interest “superior to” their own, according to the filing. A claim for $2 million was also made by Michael Avenatti, a lawyer who has previously represented Daniels, but that claim was later withdrawn, according to Monday's filing.
Daniels' lawyers didn't say how much their fees would be.
