A former Playboy model has been freed out of a contract with the parent company of The National Enquirer which prohibited her from discussing her alleged affair with President Donald Trump.
According to The New York Times, Karen McDougal managed to reach a settlement Wednesday with American Media Inc. (AMI), which freed her from the deal for the exclusive rights to her story. McDougal demanded to be released from the agreement, saying that she was misled about the terms.
She also claimed that Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney and “fixer”, inappropriately intervened in the deal.
Before the 2016 elections the publisher, whose chairman David Pecker is a friend of Trump’s, bought the rights to her story for $150,000. However, he never ran any pieces on it, using a tabloid “catch and kill” maneuver.
The Times reported that under the new terms, AMI will retain the rights to photographs of McDougal that it purchased and holds claim over up to $75,000 in any future profits she makes off the story. The former Playboy model will keep the original $150,000 payment.
“Today, I’m doing my victory dance,” McDougal told the Times, adding she currently has no plans to sell her tale to a second buyer.
“It’s a total win,” said her lawyer, Peter Stris. “We got everything we were fighting for — she got out of the contract, gets the life rights back and owes AMI nothing more.”
The affair between Trump and McDougal allegedly happened more than a decade ago, even though it came after Trump’s marriage to now-first lady Melania Trump.
AMI attempted to have McDougal’s case dismissed in court, but after last week’s FBI raids on Cohen’s home and office, the FBI reportedly found documents on McDougal, among other topics. Cohen is under criminal investigation for possible campaign finance and bank fraud violations.
Meanwhile, AMI is facing a Federal Election Commission complaint that its $150,000 payment to McDougal was an illegal campaign expenditure. Adult-film star Stormy Daniels is still suing Cohen, saying that she was also paid for her silence about an affair with Trump.
The White House and President Trump deny both women’s stories.
Be the first to comment