NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A New York attorney grievance committee dismissed adult film performer Stormy Daniels' conflict complaint against Donald Trump's hush money lawyer, Joe Tacopina, the husband of marketing and business executive Tish Tacopina, of having a conflict of interest, reported The Messenger.
On November 21, the attorney cleared Trump's criminal defense attorney of any conflict of interest involving the adult film actress.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2018 that Trump paid Daniels (whose real name is Stephanie Clifford) $130,000 in October 2016 to stop her from discussing a sexual encounter she said she had with the former president in 2006.
Earlier this year, she filed a complaint against Tacopina, claiming he had a conflict of interest due to his prior dealings with her.
New York court dismissed allegations against Joe Tacopina
Jorge Dopico, chief attorney for the Attorney Grievance Committee of the First Judicial Department, sent a letter to Tacopina saying he has been freed from Daniels' allegations.
"Following an investigation of the allegations in the above-referenced complaint filed against you, the Committee has determined to take no further action," the letter read.
Similarly, in September, a New York judge overseeing Trump's hush money case also ruled that Tacopina could continue representing his client as no conflict of interest was found.
Joe Tacopina is satisfied with the court ruling
Tacopina reacted with satisfaction for proving that he was not previously involved with Daniels. "Now both the court and the disciplinary committee have ruled that there was no conflict or ethical violation at all, as I have said from day one. It’s seems that Stormy Daniels and her joke of a lawyer’s 15 minutes of fame have come to an appropriate end," he said in an email to The Hill.
Tacopina's involvement in the case first made headlines during Trump’s arraignment in April.
Clark Brewster, the adult film actress's attorney, said his client first approached Tacopina's law firm to represent her for the hush money case. However, the Trump attorney denied this, saying he never met Daniels.
This is one of the four criminal cases on Trump as he hopes to enter the White House in 2024.
The 34 felony counts of the case accuse the billionaire politician of falsifying business records he made to his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels to remain quiet about the allegations of her affair with Trump.
According to ABC News, the trial on those charges is scheduled to begin on March 25, 2024.
