Pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels must pay President Trump nearly $293,000 for legal fees, and $1,000 in penalties, a federal judge ordered Dec. 11.
Pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels must pay President Donald Trump nearly $293,000 for his legal fees and another $1,000 in penalties after her defamation suit against him was dismissed, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered on Dec. 11.
Attorney Charles Harder, acting on behalf of Trump, had told Judge S. James Otero on Dec. 3 that his law firm had spent more than 500 hours working on the case, ringing up a legal bill of almost $390,000. Otero cut the amount by 25 percent, resulting in $293,000.
Otero previously noted that fees by Harder’s firm—as high as $840 an hour—were reasonable but the 580 hours Harder’s firm said they spent on the case appeared to be excessive.
Harder had argued that the fees and penalties were justified owing to the extraordinary nature of the defamation case.
“This action is virtually unprecedented in American legal history,” Harder wrote in court papers. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, “not only brought a meritless claim for defamation against the sitting president of the United States, but she also has engaged, along with her attorney, in massive national publicity.
