The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s approaching New York prison trial on Friday denied his bid to subpoena NBCUniversal for information involving a key witness within the hush money case, grownup movie superstar Stormy Daniels.
Trump had subpoenaed NBCUniversal for information similar to “Stormy,” a documentary on the actress that just lately premiered on the community’s streaming carrier, Peacock. NBCUniversal is the dad or mum corporate of each Peacock and NBC News.
Trump’s legal professionals stated they had been in quest of information that will display “collusion between NBCU and Daniels relating to the release date of the documentary,” in addition to any information that might relate to his trial, which is scheduled to start on April 15.
In a felony confirmation filed within the case, Erica Forstadt, Senior Vice President of Production and Development at NBCUniversal, stated Daniels had no “right to approve the content of the Documentary or the timing of its release.”
Judge Juan Merchan discovered the subpoena was once “far too broad” and rejected it.
“Because Defendant’s claims are purely speculative and unsupported, his subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition,” the judge wrote.
The judge added that “even supposing this Court had been to in finding that defendant’s request was once now not speculative … NBCUniversal’s movement nevertheless could be granted as a result of Defendant seeks unfettered get admission to to the notes and fabrics of a media group in violation” of state civil rights law.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for NBCU declined to comment.
In the documentary, which began streaming on Peacock on March 18, Daniels spoke out about how she has faced increasingly violent threats in the wake of Trump‘s indictment last year.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payment his former lawyer Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Daniels has claimed she had a sexual come upon with Trump in 2006, which Trump has denied.