Trump asks judge for private arbitration in Stormy Daniels lawsuit

President Trump and his attorney, Michael Cohen, filed paperwork on Monday asking a federal judge to order a lawsuit brought by adult-film star Stormy Daniels be resolved through private arbitration.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, filed the suit last month claiming that a nondisclosure agreement she signed regarding an alleged affair with Trump is invalid because he never signed it.

{mosads}Her alleged 2006 affair with Trump has remained in the spotlight since The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Cohen paid her $130,000 in “hush money.” 

Trump’s legal team had previously requested Daniels’s lawsuit be moved from state court to federal court, which her team said at the time was done “to increase their chances that the matter will be decided in private arbitration, thus hiding the truth from the public.”

Multiple news outlets reported that in Monday’s filing in Los Angeles, Cohen claims Daniels had not previously raised any issues with the nondisclosure agreement prior to her lawsuit. 

Cohen’s own attorney, Brent Blakely, argued in Monday’s filing that the agreement includes a provision that any disputes about it be settled through arbitration, as opposed to open court.

Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, tweeted Monday that he will “vigorously oppose” the request for private arbitration.

“This is a democracy and this matter should be decided in an open court of law owned by the people,” Avenatti said.

Daniels detailed the alleged affair in a “60 Minutes” interview last weekend. She claims she and Trump had sex once, and said she was threatened not to speak about the encounter. 

Cohen and the White House have denied the affair. Trump filed a countersuit against Daniels, alleging she could owe millions for violating the nondisclosure agreement.