The adult film actress Stormy Daniels on Monday filed a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of defamation for a tweet suggesting she lied about an incident where she was warned not to discuss an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued over an April 18 tweet in which Trump cast doubt on the existence of a man portrayed in a sketch she released over the alleged 2011 incident, five years after the alleged sexual encounter.
"A sketch years later about a nonexistent man," Trump wrote. "A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!"
In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Daniels said Trump knew his statement was false or made it with reckless disregard for its truth.
She also said it qualified as defamation per se because it falsely accused someone of committing a crime against her when no such crime occurred.
Trump and his lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
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