Stormy Daniels: Trump lawyer obtains restraining order - BBC News

8/3/2018

Stormy Daniels: Trump lawyer obtains restraining order

Stormy Daniels says she began a relationship with Mr Trump in 2006

US President Donald Trump obtained a restraining order against an adult film actress to prevent her from speaking publicly about their alleged affair, legal documents show.

Mr Trump's personal lawyer obtained the order against Stormy Daniels in private arbitration proceedings last month.

It bars her from sharing "confidential information" about their alleged relationship, US media report.

Mr Trump says allegations against him are all false.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that the president had won arbitration proceedings against the actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

"This case has already been won in arbitration and anything beyond that, I would refer you to the president's outside counsel," she said.

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But the attorney representing Ms Clifford told CBS News that he was "dumbfounded" by the White House's comment.

"For the White House spokesperson to stand up and claim that Trump won the case in arbitration is ludicrous," Michael Avenatti said.

"How do you win something when the other side is not even invited?" he said.

Mr Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, emailed the restraining order to Ms Clifford's legal team on 28 February, according to NBC News.

"The document itself is to remain confidential and not to be disclosed to anyone as per the terms of the judge's order," the email said.

Details of the restraining order have emerged a day after Ms Clifford filed a lawsuit against Mr Trump, alleging that a non-disclosure contract she signed was invalid.

She said the agreement, drawn up before the 2016 election, was "void" because he had not signed it.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, says that only days before the election, Ms Clifford and Mr Cohen signed a "hush agreement" but Mr Trump did not, "thus rendering it legally null and void and of no consequence".

It also refers to last month's "bogus arbitration proceeding" where the restraining order was obtained by Mr Cohen.

The order, issued on 27 February, bars Ms Clifford from sharing any information related to the non-disclosure agreement.

Mr Cohen confirmed last month that he had privately paid Ms Clifford $130,000 (£95,000) but did not say what it was for.

He said neither Mr Trump nor the Trump Organization was a party to this transaction.