The adult film actress Stormy Daniels has filed a lawsuit accusing US President Donald Trump of defamation for a tweet suggesting she made up an incident in which she said she was warned not to discuss an alleged sexual encounter with Mr Trump.

Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued over an April 18 tweet in which Mr Trump suggested she lied about the existence of a man portrayed in a sketch she released a day earlier.

The sketch depicted a man Ms Daniels described as having threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011.

A sketch of a man that Stormy Daniels says threatened her in 2011. ( Michael Avenatti via AP )

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In a tweet last month, Mr Trump wrote that the drawing was a "total con job".

Ms Daniels is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

The filing said the tweet was "false and defamatory", arguing that Mr Trump was speaking about Ms Daniels and that he "knew that his false, disparaging statement would be read by people around the world, as well as widely reported".

Her lawyer Michael Avenatti said Monday: "We intend on teaching Mr Trump that you cannot simply make things up about someone and disseminate them without serious consequences."

Mr Trump's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House was not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit adds a new complication to litigation involving Mr Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 ($173,000) just before the 2016 US presidential election to keep quiet about her alleged relationship with Mr Trump.

On Friday, a Los Angeles judge put Ms Daniels' lawsuit to end that agreement on hold for 90 days, saying it might threaten Mr Cohen's constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Mr Cohen faces a criminal probe into his business affairs by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. He has said the $130,000 payment was legal.

Ms Daniels has also accused Mr Cohen of defamation over a separate statement he made in February.

Sorry, this video has expired Stormy Daniels says she was threatened in a car park

Reuters/AP