Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti arrested on domestic abuse charges in Los Angelos
Michael Avenatti PC: Luke Harold via Flickr
On Wednesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Stormy Daniels in her widely publicized legal battle with President Trump, was arrested on domestic abuse charges. He was later released on a$50,000 bail.
The Los Angeles Police Department took a report on Tuesday of the allegations. Buzzfeed News reports that the alleged assault took place at a Beverly Hills residence.
TMZ, a celebrity gossip site, incorrectly identified the accuser as Avenatti’s estranged wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti. However, her attorneys stated to Buzzfeed, “Ms. Storie-Avenatti was not subject to any such incident on Tuesday night.”
Currently, the accuser’s identity is unknown, and Avenatti is denying the allegations and calling them politically motivated.
In a statement, Avenatti said, “I wish to thank the hard working men and woman of the LAPD for their professionalism they were only doing their jobs in light of the completely bogus allegations against me. I have never been physically abusive in my life nor was I last night. Any accusations to the contrary are fabricated and meant to do harm to my reputation. I look forward to being fully exonerated.”
I want to be clear: I DID NOT commit domestic violence nor have I ever committed domestic violence. I did not strike any woman nor have I ever. I did not strike my ex-wife in the face nor did I hit anyone else in the face. I am a decent man & I look forward to being exonerated.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) November 15, 2018
Avenatti has become a frequent news topic for his legal representation of Stormy Daniels, who is seeking to be released from a 2016 legal agreement in which she was given “hush money” for her silence on her sexual relationship with President Trump. The case has become a controversial one given the agreement was strategically made during Trump’s presidential campaign. Avenatti also represented Julie Swetnick in her sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Avenatti has become an important mainstream figure of the #MeToo movement, but the allegations against him have many disavowing him already.
Daniels is now saying that she will find new representation if allegations are found to be true. In front on Oxford University’s debating society, she stated, “I will say that right now they are just allegations and I am going to reserve judgment, and I hope that everyone does — trust me, I know what it feels like to be on the other end of that — until all the details are discovered. But if the allegations turn out to be true then I will definitely be seeking new representation because I cannot condone or support someone who is abusive.”