A former Playboy model won a round in court when a judge ruled that her allegations against a former campaign fundraiser for President Donald Trump will be decided by a jury.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White on Thursday denied Elliott Broidy’s request to force Shera Bechard to bring her lawsuit before an arbitrator. The ruling allows Bechard’s case to take place in public rather than behind closed doors.
Broidy resigned as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee in April when his payments to Bechard became public. The nondisclosure agreement was negotiated on his behalf by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer who had also arranged a payment in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Broidy is the primary defendant in Bechard’s case. She alleges he breached their contract by stopping installment payments on the deal after details of their affair were leaked by others. The deal required Broidy to pay Bechard $1.6 million in eight installments.
The 60-year-old, married Broidy admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship with Bechard and said he agreed to make payments to her after she told him she’d become pregnant and had an abortion.
Bechard additionally sued her former lawyer, Keith Davidson, who arranged for the payment as part of a nondisclosure agreement negotiated on Broidy’s behalf by Cohen. Bechard alleges Davidson worked against her interests by secretly coordinating with Cohen and crafting an agreement that was favorable to Broidy.
The former Playmate also claims attorney Michael Avenatti interfered in her contract by making key details public in a tweet after he allegedly got the information from Davidson.