COLUMBUS, Ohio (10TV) - Columbus City Council has allowed the city attorney to move forward with the settlement of Stormy Daniels' lawsuit.
On Monday night, council authorized $450,000 to come out of general fund accounts for the settlement.
"Based on upcoming costs and expenses, as well as the risks faced in litigation including the possibility of paying plaintiff's attorney's fees, the city determined entering into the settlement was in the best interest of the city and everyone involved," said City Solicitor General Lara Baker-Morrish.
In July 2018, Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, was arrested at Sirens Gentlemen's Club. The now-dissolved Columbus Police Vice Unit claimed Daniels violated city code by touching patrons. Those charges were dropped.
"The city attorney's office further determined that the factual allegations failed to support the claim that Ms. Clifford touched a patron, as she was only alleged to have touched on-duty police detectives who are by-definition not considered patrons under the statue," said Baker-Morrish.
Then came the lawsuit against the city and several vice officers.
"Ms. Clifford alleges that her arrest was politically motivated and the officers were retaliating against her because of the alleged extramarital affair with President Donald Trump," Baker-Morrish said.
In September 2019, Daniels walked out of a federal courthouse having reached a settlement with the city for $450,000.
"It was never really about the money. It was the changes that were made, bringing awareness of how the law isn't written fairly and they targeted me and they targeted other women," Daniels told reporters in September.
The Columbus Police Department recommended firing two officers, suspending a sergeant and a lieutenant, and reprimanding a commander because of the incident. Hearings are scheduled on Nov. 26 and Dec. 11 with the city's public safety director.