Prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio moved to dismissed their case against adult film star Stormy Daniels, according to court documents shared by Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti.
I am pleased to report that the charges against my client @stormydaniels have been dismissed in their entirety (below motion was just granted). I want to thank Joe Gibson & his colleagues at the prosecutors ofc for their professionalism starting with our first call early this am. pic.twitter.com/xHPSWsyqM2
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 12, 2018
According to the motion filed by the Columbus City Attorney’s office, there was no probable cause to move forward with the case against Daniels. She had been charged with three counts of violating statute 2907.40(C)(2) (also known as the Community Defense Act), which prohibits dancers from touching patrons. Daniels had been accused of touching police officers, including the breasts and buttocks of a female officer.
Despite the allegations, prosecutors recognized a weakness in the case due to the wording of the statute. The law states that the prohibition against touching customers applies to a performer “who regularly appears nude or seminude on the premises.” The prosecution acknowledged in their motion that there is no evidence that Daniels regularly performs there, and thus, the charges should be dropped.
Judge James P. O’Grady then signed an order which officially dismissed the case.
“I want to thank Joe Gibson & his colleagues at the prosecutors [office] for their professionalism starting with our first call early this am,” Avenatti stated in a Twitter post sharing the news.
[Image via Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
