NULL AND VOID

Cohen Moves to Nix Stormy Daniels NDA, Wants $130,000 Back

The move effectively kills a plan by Daniels’ lawyer to force Trump to testify under oath.

The shell company Michael Cohen used to set up a nondisclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels on her alleged affair with Donald Trump has moved to invalidate the deal. In a Friday night court filing, the company, Essential Consultants, agreed to rescind the agreement and back off plans to sue Daniels for violating the agreement but also demanded that the porn star repay the $130,000 in hush money she received from Cohen ahead of the 2016 presidential election. While the move frees Daniels from any liability for speaking out about her alleged affair with the president, it also threatens a plan by Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, to force Trump to testify under oath. “What they're trying to do is they don't want me to get a chance to depose Michael Cohen and Donald Trump,” Avenatti told CNN late Friday. “This is a hail Mary to try and avoid that, that's my first guess,” he said. Avenatti added that the legal filing may be a sign Cohen is trying to get back on Trump’s good side after pleading guilty to federal crimes last month and implicating the president in secrecy payments to women. “He is back to doing Trump's bidding and acting as a fixer,” Avenatti said.