Blow to Stormy Daniels, judge denies her motion to depose Trump, Cohen
A federal judge in California has denied the request of porn star Stormy Daniels' attorney to depose United States President Donald Trump and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen as a part of the adult film star's lawsuit.
US District judge James Otero on Thursday denied the motion, stating that it was "procedurally premature", reportedly suggesting that her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, could refile the motion on a later date.
The motion was "frivolous, untimely and premature on its face", CNN reported, citing, Cohen's spokesman David Schwartz, as saying in a statement.
Schwartz said, "I'm not at all surprised by the judge's decision to deny the motion to compel depositions of Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. This frivolous motion was denied with 48 hours of filing and I'm pleased it was denied".
Avenatti said that he will refile his motion to depose Trump and Cohen after they file their petition to move to arbitration.
"Here is an order from the Ct denying our motion as premature on procedural grounds. We will refile the motion as soon as DT, MC, and EC, LLC file their motion to compel arbitration seeking to hide the facts from public view. We expect this any day," he tweeted.
Here is an order from the Ct denying our motion as premature on procedural grounds. We will refile the motion as soon as DT, MC, and EC, LLC file their motion to compel arbitration seeking to hide the facts from public view. We expect this any day. https://t.co/H85pmKdISK
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 29, 2018
Daniels has publicly claimed a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. She recently appeared on CBS' "60 Minutes" and claimed Cohen orchestrated a payment to keep her quiet during the election.
Daniels has been locked in a legal battle with President Trump earlier this month, seeking to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she and Cohen had signed more than a decade ago.
The adult star said that the deal is not valid because the US President "never signed it himself".
The judge, a former President George W. Bush appointee, has set a hearing for April 30, according to the reports.
--ANI
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First published: 30 March 2018, 14:12 IST