President Trump wants the lawsuit brought against him by porn star Stormy Daniels be decided via private arbitration rather than before a jury, according to court documents.
Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen also argue in papers filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Calif., Monday that Daniels had not raised any concerns regarding a disputed nondisclosure agreement between the parties prior to suing the president in March, per the Associated Press.
Daniels — whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford — wants the nondisclosure arrangement she agreed to just before the 2016 election that stopped her going public with details of an alleged extramarital affair she had with Trump to be ruled invalid because the then-candidate did not sign it.
Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 of his own money in exchange for her silence, which Daniels has offered to return as part of the case.
Daniels claims to have slept with Trump once in 2006 shortly after his marriage to first lady Melania Trump and the birth of their only child together, Barron Trump.
Trump and White House spokespeople have denied the affair.
Daniels’ legal representative Michael Avenatti vowed on Twitter Monday to “vigorously oppose” the motion.
“This is a democracy and this matter should be decided in an open court of law owned by the people,” he wrote.
We will vigorously oppose the just-filed motion by DJT and MC to have this case decided in a private arbitration, in a private conf room, hidden from the American public. This is a democracy and this matter should be decided in an open court of law owned by the people. #sunlight
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 2, 2018
Daniels could owe $20 million for violating the deal by granting an extensive interview to CBS’ “60 Minutes” in March, Trump’s lawyers have stated.
