U. S. District Court Judge S. James Otero said a hearing « is warranted. »
A federal judge in Los Angeles has scheduled a hearing for Friday to determine whether to postpone a lawsuit filed by adult film actress Stormy Daniels following a request for a stay in the suit from President Donald Trump and his attorney, Michael Cohen.
According to a Politico report, U. S. District Court Judge S. James Otero scheduled the hearing after legal teams from both Trump and Cohen asked for a 90-day stay in the lawsuit because they said it would conflict with an ongoing investigation into Cohen’s business dealings. Otero noted that a hearing “is warranted.”
Both Daniels — who is attempting to get out of a nondisclosure agreement she signed limiting her ability to speak about the affair she says she had with Trump in 2006 — and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, have objected to the delay, according to Bloomberg.
The FBI raided Cohen’s home, office, and hotel room April 9 in connection to the investigation into his affairs, seizing several documents, including some related to the $130,000 payment he made to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.
Lawyers for both President Trump and Cohen have claimed documents collected during the raid should be protected under attorney-client privilege.
On Monday, a federal judge said she would appoint a “special master” to review the documents and determine which, if any, should be withheld from the record.
Seven potential candidates have been nominated for the position, though some lawmakers are arguing a special team should be put in place to review the documents instead.
Kelcey Caulder is a News Fellow at IJR. Previously, she worked with the web team at the Los Angeles Times and led the Student Press Law Center’s campa… more
