Trump seeks to dismiss Stormy Daniels lawsuit over hush money agreement

A lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss adult film actress Stormy Daniels’ lawsuit challenging the validity of a $130,000 hush money agreement over a tryst she claimed they had more than a decade ago.

In a filing with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Trump’s lawyer said the lawsuit by Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is moot because Trump never signed the agreement and has said he will not try to enforce it.

Michael Avenatti, who represents Daniels, has said keeping the case alive serves the public interest. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Daniels has said she slept with Trump during a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, California, in 2006. Trump has denied he had sex with Daniels.

The case is separate from Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against Trump over his April tweet challenging her claim that an unknown man threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 if she went public about their alleged encounter.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas