Appearing on CNN Monday, legal analyst Paul Callan commented on the merits of Stephanie Clifford's defamation lawsuit filed Friday against President Donald Trump. Clifford, known by her stage name Stormy Daniels, brought suit after a Tweet by Trump accused Clifford of lying.
Callan stated the case would be extremely difficult to win. Later that evening on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, host Cooper asked Callan directly:
Just because somebody is an adult film [star], they cannot be defamed?"
With Clifford's lawyer Michael Avenatti seated next to him, Callan stated:
As a matter of principle, you're probably right: Someone who's made 500 pornographic films can be defamed, in theory. But you put 12 ordinary people on a jury and say to them, 'Award her money because someone called her a liar,' I think you'd have a hard time getting a substantial damage award. Now, maybe you'd get a symbolic award, sometimes jurors say will award a dollar in damages to send a message that we won't tolerate this sort of thing, but actual damages justifying all of the effort that's gone into this lawsuit, I don't see it -- which means the lawsuit is a publicity lawsuit and a publicity stunt."
Avenatti commented on the exchange on Twitter Tuesday.
Clifford's lawyer also responded to a Tweet calling Callan's statements chauvinistic.
Avenatti was not alone in taking exception to Callan's remarks.
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