Judge rules Stormy Daniels must pay nearly $300,000 of Trump legal fees in defamation case

Stormy Daniels must pay $293,052.33 in attorney's fees, costs and sanctions to President Donald Trump's lawyers, a California judge has ruled in the defamation suit attorney Michael Avenatti brought against Trump earlier this year.

Trump attorney Charles Harder asked for about $780,000 from Stormy Daniels, the porn name of adult film actor and director Stephanie Clifford. That amount broke down to $389,000 in attorney fees plus $389,000 in sanctions, in a hearing last week.

Michael Avenatti.

Harder called today's ruling "a total victory for the President."

"The court's order, along with the court's prior order dismissing Stormy Daniels' defamation case against the President, together constitute a total victory for the President, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case," Harder said.

From CNN:

The defamation suit — separate from the original lawsuit about the non-disclosure agreement Daniels signed with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen that's now at the center of a federal criminal case against Cohen — was brought earlier this year after Trump called an allegation by Daniels that an unknown man threatened her in a parking lot to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump a "total con job" in a tweet. Trump has denied having the affair.

Federal District Judge James Otero tossed out the case in October and, as part of that decision, ordered Daniels to pay a portion of Trump's attorney fees.

In response to the decision, Avenatti said the ruling was a partial win for him and his client.

"Trump asked for $800k in attorneys' fees, costs and sanctions from the minor defamation case. The ct awarded well less than 1/2, recognizing that the request was gross & excessive," Avenatti tweeted. "The amount in fees awarded Stormy in the main NDA case will be at least $1 million more than this."