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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 16 OcTOber 2018

In this Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, adult film actress
Stormy Daniels arrives for the opening of the adult entertainment
fair “Venus,” in Berlin.
Associated Press
Judge tosses Stormy All Seasons restaurant chef Kevin Kathman, left, and owner Gayle Keller stand at the bar as they

Daniels’ defamation look at their empty business Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Calistoga, Calif. Associated Press

suit against Trump California utilities shut off

By MICHAEL BALSAMO politician or public figure power amid wildfire concerns
Associated Press could constitute an action
WASHINGTON (AP) — A for defamation. This would
federal judge dismissed deprive this country of the By PAUL ELIAS billions of dollars in wild- ing a sick relative and re-
Stormy Daniels’ defama- ‘discourse’ common to the Associated Press fire damages and has ceived three text messages
tion lawsuit against Presi- political process.” SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — sought ways to limit its liabil- Sunday night from PG&E
dent Donald Trump on Daniels’ attorney, Michael Concerned about downed ity through the courts and saying it might cut power,
Monday, saying the presi- Avenatti, vowed to ap- power lines sparking wild- Legislature. but he didn’t know it actu-
dent made a “hyperbolic peal the decision and said fires, two major California PG&E said about 87,000 ally happened until a friend
statement” against a po- he was confident it would utilities took the rare step of customers had their power called him.
litical adversary when he be reversed. But the presi- cutting power to customers halted and more could be “They knew what they
tweeted about a compos- dent’s lawyer immediately amid high winds — and an- left in the dark depend- were going to do obvious-
ite sketch the porn actress’ hailed the ruling as a “total other power provider was ing on the weather. Some ly,” Munnerlyn said. “We
lawyer released. victory” for Trump. considering similar action. 60,000 customers remained weren’t given enough no-
Daniels, whose real name “No amount of spin or com- Pacific Gas & Electric for without power. Schools in tice to properly prepare.”
is Stephanie Clifford, sued mentary by Stormy Daniels the first time began cutting those affected areas can- Kevin Kathman, executive
Trump in April after he said or her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, power Sunday night to tens celed classes. chef of wine country res-
a composite sketch of a can truthfully characterize of thousands of customers PG&E said it expected to taurant All Seasons in Calis-
man she said threatened today’s ruling in any way in Northern California after restore power Monday toga, said $12,000 worth of
her in 2011 to keep quiet other than total victory for the National Weather Ser- night to most customers food at the site would spoil
about an alleged affair President Trump and total vice warned of extreme — though some residents if power isn’t restored soon.
with the real estate mogul defeat for Stormy Daniels,” fire danger across the state won’t get electricity back Instead of tossing it, he was
was a “con job.” Trump’s attorney, Charles due to high winds, low hu- until Tuesday. planning to cook over a fire
Trump tweeted that the Harder, said in a statement. midity and dry vegetation. “We know how much our during a block party for the
man was “nonexistent” The judge’s ruling also en- San Diego Gas & Electric customers rely on elec- “stressed out community”
and that Daniels was play- titles Trump to collect attor- followed suit Monday, turn- tric service, and we have that includes winery own-
ing the “fake news media neys’ fees from Daniels, but ing off power to about 360 made the decision to turn ers in the middle of grape
for fools.” He retweeted a the amount that Daniels customers in foothill areas off power as a last resort harvest. The power went
side-by-side photo com- would need to pay will be near Cleveland National given the extreme fire dan- out Sunday night and Cal-
paring the sketch with a determined later, Harder Forest, where multiple blaz- ger conditions these com- istoga remained without
photo of Daniels’ husband. said. es have scorched large munities are experiencing,” electricity Monday, even
In an order handed down The defamation claim is swaths of land in recent PG&E spokesman Pat Ho- though Kathman said there
Monday, U.S. District Judge separate from another years. SDG&E has pre-emp- gan said. was no wind.
S. James Otero said Trump’s lawsuit that Daniels filed tively shut off power to cus- PG&E said it began notify- “It’s a beautiful day,” he
statement was protect- against Trump, which is tomers in the past, most re- ing affected customers on said. “We are all in disbelief
ed speech under the First continuing. Daniels was cently in December when Saturday about possible that it’s not back on.”
Amendment. paid $130,000 as part of a 14,000 customers went outages. However, many PG&E spokeswoman Melis-
“If this Court were to pre- nondisclosure agreement without power — many for said Monday they had re- sa Subottin said power was
vent Mr. Trump from en- signed days before the four days. ceived little or no notice. also cut to hospitals and
gaging in this type of ‘rhe- 2016 election and is suing Pacific Gas & Electric previ- Stewart Munnerlyn was other medical providers
torical hyperbole’ against to dissolve that contract. ously announced its plan to scrambling to find genera- that are required to have
a political adversary, it Daniels has argued the shut off power preemptive- tors to save $8,000 worth of backup power sources.
would significantly hamper agreement should be in- ly after authorities blamed ice cream at his creamery PG&E officials visited 4,400
the office of the President,” validated because Trump’s its power lines for sparking shop in Pine Grove, about medical customers in the
the judge wrote. “Any personal lawyer and fixer, some of California’s most 55 miles (89 kilometers) east affected areas to person-
strongly worded response Michael Cohen, signed it, destructive wildfires. of Sacramento. Munnerlyn ally warn them of the out-
by a president to another but Trump did not.q The utility expects to pay said he is in Virginia visit- ages, she said.q