Campaign Aide Who Alleged Trump 'Forcibly Kissed' Her Drops Lawsuit

Former Trump campaign aide Alva Johnson, who alleged Donald Trump kissed her without her consent before a 2016 campaign event in Tampa, Florida, has dropped her lawsuit over the kiss after a judge threatened her attorneys with sanctions if they proceeded with the case.

According to Politico, attorneys for the president say a 15-second cellphone video proves Johnson kissed Trump and not vice versa. In July, attorneys released the video, prompting U.S. District Court Judge William Jung to dissuade Johnson’s attorneys from pursuing the case by threatening sanctions. She has also dropped the portion of the suit claiming the campaign underpaid women and minority staffers and will not redraft the complaint:

“Jung dismissed the first version of Johnson’s complaint, saying it amounted to a ‘political lawsuit.’ However, he gave Johnson’s lawyers the opportunity to redraft the complaint. In a court filing Wednesday night, Johnson’s attorneys said they’ll pass up that opportunity.”

According to a statement by Johnson, the suit wasn’t worth the harassment she faced in filing it:

“‘I have made the difficult decision not to pursue my claims at this time. I am facing a judge who openly questions whether the kiss is worthy of a federal lawsuit and has determined that Mr. Trump’s history of such behavior is not relevant, and I’ve endured ongoing threats to my safety. I’ve decided for the sake of my family that I will not continue with the case at this time,’ Johnson said.”

When asked why they will not continue with the portion of the lawsuit focusing on pay disparities, attorneys said they did not believe Jung, who was an Obama nominee appointed by Trump, would give a “fair hearing.”