Trump team ordered Stormy Daniels to pay additional legal costs of $120,000

At a court three thousand miles from his New York legal drama, Donald Trump won a significant case.

In his attempt to recover further legal costs from adult film star Stormy Daniels, who had filed and lost a defamation suit against him, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the former president.

Daniels was had to pay slightly over $120,000 in legal costs to Trump's attorneys. This is in addition to the more than $500,000 in court-ordered payments she currently has to make to Trump's attorneys.

Officially unrelated to Trump's arrest and allegations brought against him in New York, the civil lawsuit concerned Daniels, who received $130,000 in hush money to remain silent during the 2016 presidential campaign.

As Trump referred to Daniels' claim that she was threatened in a parking lot to remain quiet about her alleged affair with him as a "total con job" in a tweet, Daniels filed a lawsuit against him in 2018.

District Judge S. James Otero dismissed the complaint in October 2018 by stating that Trump's remark was protected by the First Amendment.

The Court concurs with Mr. Trump's claim because the disputed tweet exhibits "rhetorical hyperbole" that is typically used in American politics and public debate. This kind of rhetorical statement is protected by the First Amendment, according to Otero at the time.

Daniels was eventually required to pay around $293,000 in legal fees by Otero. After losing yet another appeal, she was also required to pay $245,000 in fees.

Stephanie Clifford, also known as Daniels, has urged the appeals court to overturn another award. The court turned down her appeal.

The 9th Circuit brief noted that "Clifford's claim that the fee request is exorbitant and excessive is not well-founded.

The document went on to say that Trump's legal team "fairly expended the requested 183.35 hours preparing a move to dismiss, a response to the objection to the motion, two extension motions, the replying brief, and the fee application."

Congratulations to President Trump on this final attorney fee victory in his favour this morning," wrote Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon in a tweet on Tuesday. In the pointless lawsuit that Stormy Daniels started, our company collectively won over $600,000 in attorney fee awards in his favour.