Michael Cohen’s probable criminal charges is the reason….
A lawsuit filed by an adult-film actress over an alleged “hush money” deal with President Donald Trump and his attorney Michael Cohen will be put on hold for three months because of a criminal investigation Cohen is facing, a federal judge ruled on Friday.
U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero said it appeared “likely” that Cohen would be indicted in connection with the ongoing investigation, which led to search warrant raids on Cohen’s home, office and hotel room in New York earlier this month.
Cohen filed a declaration with the court on Wednesday saying he planned to assert his Fifth Amendment rights if asked to answer any further questions regarding the suit, which seeks to void an agreement that led to a $130,000 payment Cohen orchestrated shortly before the 2016 presidential election. The agreement uses pseudonyms, but appears intended to induce the porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and their ensuing communications.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, argued that Cohen’s claims against self-incrimination were too broad, and the threat of an indictment too speculative, for him to try to stall the case on that basis, but Otero disagreed….