Attorneys for President Donald Trump and his beleaguered personal lawyer Michael Cohen asked a federal judge on Friday for a 90-day suspension of the lawsuit filed against them by porn star Stormy Daniels.
The FBI raids on Cohen's home, office and hotel room in New York on Monday are part of a criminal investigation that overlaps Daniels' suit to void the contract that bars her from talking publicly about what she says was a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, the lawyers argued in court papers.
If the lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court proceeds without delay, Cohen would be forced to choose between defending himself in deposition testimony or exercising his Fifth Amendment rights, the lawyers told Judge S. James Otero.
Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, is calling for the suit to move forward without delay.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, wants the judge to invalidate her confidentiality agreement, in part because Trump did not sign it. Lawyers for Trump say she has already broken the deal and could owe the president as much as $20 million in damages.
