Adult film star Stormy Daniels is seeking a minimum of $2 million in a federal lawsuit filed against four Ohio police officers on Monday.
Daniels claims four Columbus officers violated her civil rights by arresting her at Sirens, a Columbus strip club, in July 2018. Daniels also said her arrest was politically charged.
The officers named in the lawsuit are vice unit Officers Shana Keckley, Whitney Lancaster, Mary Praither and Steven Rosser. Daniels had been performing at the club, which was part of her nationwide tour. Once finished, she was arrested for allegedly violating a state law relating to a strip club performer improperly touching patrons at a gentlemen's club. Two Sirens employees — Miranda Panda and Brittany Walters — were also arrested.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein dropped charges against all three performers, and that office no longer prosecutes such cases, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The lawsuit said Daniels insists her arrest was made for political reasons. The lawsuit says two detectives are "registered Republicans," according to the Dispatch, and that another officer was a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. The lawsuit even uses social media postings and emails to back Daniels' claim.
Daniels had already been in the spotlight for her lawsuit against Trump, saying he made a payment to her for an alleged affair.
In the lawsuit, Daniels claims the arrest by the pro-Republicans officers because of their support for the president.
Among the damages Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, looks to recover from are malicious prosecution, false arrest, civil conspiracy to violate her rights, defamation and abuse of process.
"By maliciously releasing false statements to public newspapers and broadcasters and on social media platforms strongly implying Ms. Clifford was engaged in immoral conduct ... defendants defamed Ms. Clifford, causing injury to her reputation and exposing her to contempt, ridicule, shame and disgrace in the community," the lawsuit says.
Michael Avenatti, her California-based attorney who made the TV circuit during the Trump lawsuit, is listed as one of her attorneys on the lawsuit, which was filed locally by attorneys Chase Mallory and Daniel Sabol.
Avenatti told the Dispatch his client's arrest was merely local cops abusing their power.
"Ohio is not a police state," Avenatti said.
Daniels' arrest led to an FBI probe into the Columbus vice unit, which then led to Lancaster and Rosser getting relieved of duty, according to the Dispatch.
Last month, the Columbus Police Department implemented a new policy that prohibits its vice officers from going to strip clubs without consent from either the police chief or deputy chief.
With legal immunity surrounding police departments, only the officers are named in the lawsuit and not the department itself. The Columbus Police Department had no comment.
Panda and Walters filed similar federal lawsuits in October that are pending.
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