Stormy Daniels Countersued by Former Attorney

LOS ANGELES—Stormy Daniels and her attorney Michael Avenatti are being sued for defamation by her former attorney, Keith Davidson, a day after she accused him of being a "puppet" for President Donald Trump. Davidson's lawsuit also accuses Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, of illegally recording their telephone calls. The countersuit was filed Thursday in federal court in LA, according to the Associated Press. The AVN Hall of Fame performer/director Daniels on Wednesday filed a lawsuit accusing Davidson of being a "puppet" for the president and colluding with Cohen to have her appear on Fox News and falsely deny having sex with Trump in 2006. The interview—which reportedly would have been on Sean Hannity's show—never took place. Davidson denied those claims and says Daniels wanted to appear on the show to bolster her popularity, AP reported. Davidson's suit alleges that Daniels and Avenatti defamed him when Avenatti tweeted that Davidson "should have been charged after his arrest for extortion not long ago." Stormy's former attorney also alleges Cohen illegally recorded their calls when he was still representing her. Avenatti said Davidson is "a proven liar and his conduct is abhorrent" in a statement to AP. "He is an embarrassment to the profession and seems to have forgotten what the attorney-client privilege is all about," Avenatti said. "His allegations are false and we look forward to having his frivolous claims thrown out of court."