- Michael Avenatti is an attorney whose most famous client was Stormy Daniels.
- He has inserted himself into the national conversation, often making claims about high-profile people, including President Donald Trump, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and R. Kelly.
- Avenatti was also considering a 2020 presidential bid, but ruled it out after suffering numerous legal and professional setbacks.
- A federal judge ruled against him in Daniels’ defamation suit against Trump, he was referred to the FBI on accusations of lying to Congress, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and New York federal prosecutors charged Avenatti with attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike.
- Here’s a look at his career, and claims he’s made over the last several months.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
Michael Avenatti may have been the most high-profile lawyer in America for a moment. The 48-year-old litigator has made headlines largely thanks to his former client, porn star and director Stormy Daniels.
Just days before the 2016 US election, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep her silent about an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006.
Avenatti sued the president, on Daniels’ behalf, accusing Trump of invalidating a non-disclosure agreement, and of defaming Daniels.
Appearing on dozens of cable news shows, tweeting frequently, and often making claims that he has explosive information on people in the news, Avenatti has attempted to make himself a household name.
But since then, Avenatti has suffered a number of legal setbacks - including a judge ruling against him and Stormy Daniels in their defamation lawsuit against Trump, being referred to the FBI on suspicion of submitting false statements to Congress, and being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
While the Los Angeles district attorney's office declined to press felony domestic violence charges against him, Avenatti decided to rule out a 2020 bid for the presidency in December 2018.
In March 2019, New York federal prosecutors charged Avenatti with attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike, alleging he tried to get the money by "threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial & reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met."
A few weeks later, federal prosecutors in California charged Avenatti with a slew of separate financial crimes, including embezzling from clients. And in May, New York prosecutors further charged him with embezzling $300,000 from Daniels. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and is awaiting trial in both cases.
On January 14, federal authorities in California said they had arrested Avenatti for violating the conditions of his pretrial release.
Here's what you should know about Michael Avenatti's rise and fall.
Avenatti graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. Three years later, he received his JD degree from George Washington University.
During college and law school, Avenatti worked for The Research Group, a campaign research firm founded by Rahm Emmanuel, former President Barack Obama's chief of staff and the current Democratic mayor of Chicago.
Source: Chicago Magazine
After graduating law school, Avenatti worked at O'Melveny & Myers, a high-powered Los Angeles law firm. Over the course of his legal career, he has contributed to several high-profile cases involving Paris Hilton, Jim Carrey, and members of the rock band The Eagles.
At O'Melveny & Myers, Avenatti worked with Dan Petrocelli, the attorney who represented the family that sued OJ Simpson for murder. Simpson was found not guilty in 1995.
Sources: Avenatti, Business Insider
In 2007, he formed his own firm called Eagan Avenatti, where he has settled and won lucrative cases against the NFL and medical manufacturers Kimberly-Clark and Halyard Health, among others.
In 2013, Avenatti bought Tully's Coffee, a Seattle-based coffee franchise that had just gone bankrupt.
In March 2018, a spokesman for Tully's said Avenatti no longer owned the company, but still served as its general counsel. The company then abruptly closed all its stores.
Sources: Puget Sound Business Journal, Business Insider
Avenatti is also an auto-racing fanatic. He has participated in numerous races around the US and in Europe. "Life is meant to be lived; there are no dress rehearsals," he told GW Law School magazine in 2010.
Source: GW Law School
One of Avenatti's former law school professors witnessed his ambition up close. "He is an adrenaline junkie," Jonathan Turley, who taught Avenatti at GW Law, told The Washington Post. "I think he needs that adrenaline rush. He lives his life aggressively. In both litigation and in life he shows a certain aggressive style."
Source: The Washington Post
Those words were proven true as Avenatti began making the rounds on cable news, giving interviews about Daniels' case against Trump.
During a particularly fiery exchange on CNN in March 2018, Avenatti excoriated Michael Cohen, Trump's personal attorney, repeatedly calling him a "thug."
Source: CNN
In another theatrical performance, Avenatti held up a picture of Cohen on live TV, accusing him of "dodging questions" by refusing to talk to the media.
Source: CNN
In April 2018, Daniels appeared on "The View" to release a composite sketch of a man she said threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump. Avenatti said a $100,000 reward was waiting for correctly identifying the unknown man.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti has been a thorn in Trump's side for years. While working at Greene Broillet & Wheeler, a law firm in California, Avenatti helped sue Trump for allegedly stealing the idea of his hit reality TV show on NBC, "The Apprentice."
Source: The Washington Post
Following criticism from conservatives, Avenatti released a statement in May 2018 saying that no political groups or "left wing conspiracy" were funding his legal battle against Trump and told critics to "get over it."
Source: Business Insider
But he has reportedly sought financial help from Democratic donors in his legal fight against Trump. Avenatti has insisted that the money has come from a crowdfunding campaign and not from Democrats.
Source: Business Insider
In a report titled "Project Sunlight" released in May 2018, Avenatti alleged that Cohen received $500,000 from a Russian oligarch shortly after the 2016 election, and claimed that money may have served as a reimbursement for the payment to Daniels. Cohen denied this.
Source: Business Insider
In an interview with MSNBC in May 2018, Avenatti revealed that he was working with at least two other women who claimed they had signed NDAs with Trump similar to the one Daniels had signed with Trump for hush money before the election.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti has also taken an adversarial approach to Daniels' former lawyer, Keith Davidson. He claims Davidson did not work in her best interest and instead worked closely with Cohen and Trump.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti claimed in May 2018 that Cohen was leaking to the press audio tapes seized in the FBI raids of Cohen's apartment and office. He also argued that Cohen should have to turn over all conversations with Daniels' former lawyer.
Source: Business Insider/Business Insider
Avenatti attempted to appear in Cohen's federal criminal case, but eventually withdrew the motion.
Source: Business Insider/Business Insider
Also in May 2018, Avenatti's law firm was handed down a $10 million judgment to reimburse a former attorney at the firm who Avenatti failed to pay $2 million that month.
Source: Business Insider
Another person close to Trump who has drawn the criticism and ire of Avenatti has been Rudy Giuliani, who is now Trump's attorney. The two attorneys have had a war of words.
Source: Business Insider/Business Insider/Business Insider
Trump reportedly doesn't pay "much attention" to Avenatti and thinks that Daniels' lawyer is a "fool", according to Giuliani.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti's adversarial approach to Trump led many to speculate about his chances of running for president in 2020. Some on the left even called him a "hero" for taking on Trump with his own rhetoric.
Source: Business Insider
In an interview with Business Insider in June 2018, Avenatti said he "can see why people might think" that he's getting more involved in politics.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti was critical of Trump's family-separation policy and said he was planning to represent at least 20 detained migrant mothers and children as clients in their legal cases to get their kids back.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti also said he had resources and whistleblowers deployed on the ground at the border providing leaked video, audio, and photos of what was going on inside the detention centers.
Source: Business Insider/Business Insider/Business Insider
Avenatti tweeted in July 2018 that he would run for president as a Democrat if Trump seeks reelection in 2020. He also said that no candidate running on the Democratic side has a real shot at beating Trump in the election.
Source: Business Insider
Avenatti then traveled to Iowa to give a speech at a Democratic dinner, increasing speculation that the attorney could run for president.
Source: Business Insider
While they were once public enemies, Avenatti and Cohen started working together after they ran into each other at a swanky Manhattan restaurant in July 2018. Avenatti said he believed Cohen would help his case and tell the truth about Trump.
"I'm exploring a run for the presidency of the United States," Avenatti told The Des Moines Register in August 2018. He also said the Democratic party "has yearned for a fighter."
Source: Business Insider
That same month, Avenatti released a policy platform and said that he is "more bullish than ever" about running for president.
Source: Business Insider
After Cohen pleaded guilty to eight federal crimes in August, Avenatti said he and Daniels were "vindicated."
Source: Business Insider
On September 23, 2018, Avenatti revealed he had "significant evidence" that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh took part in sexual misconduct in high school.
Source: Business Insider
He then submitted a sworn declaration from a woman named Julie Swetnick who alleged she had seen Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge present at parties in the early 1980s where girls were "gang-raped."
Source: Business Insider
But the allegations came under scrutiny when Swetnick contradicted and walked back key portions of her sworn declaration in an interview with NBC.
Source: Business Insider
One woman who signed a sworn declaration supporting Swetnick's allegations later walked back her story, saying she only "skimmed'" the sworn statement she signed and accused Avenatti of "twisting" her words.
Source: Business Insider
Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, referred Avenatti and Swetnick to the FBI, accusing them of lying to Congress (a felony offense) and obstructing an investigation in sworn declarations submitted by Swetnick and another witness.
Source: Business Insider
On October 15, 2018, a federal judge in California ruled against Avenatti and Daniels in their defamation lawsuit against Trump on First Amendment grounds, and ordered the two to pay Trump's legal fees in the suit.
Source: Business Insider
The decision prompted Trump to mock "3rd rate lawyer" Avenatti for "having no money," and call Daniels "horseface" on Twitter. Avenatti decried Trump as a "moron" in response.
Source: Business Insider
In November 2018, Avenatti said he was investigating claims that Fox News host Tucker Carlson assaulted a "gay Latino immigrant" at a Charlottesville, Virginia, country club.
Source: Business Insider
Carlson issued a lengthy statement in response, stating he had assaulted no one, but his son had thrown a glass of red wine on the man after he called Carlson's 19-year-old daughter a "w---e" and a "c---."
Source: Business Insider
Also in November, TMZ reported and the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that Avenatti had been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Actress Mareli Minutti accused Avenatti of dragging her across the floor of his apartment by her arm.
Source: Business Insider
"I have never struck a woman, I never will strike a woman, I have been an advocate for women's rights my entire career and I'm going to continue to be an advocate," Avenatti said. "I am not going to be intimidated from stopping what I am doing."
Source:Business Insider
Daniels said she planned to fire Avenatti as her lawyer if the domestic violence allegations against him turned out to be credible.
Source: Business Insider
"We should all reserve judgement until the investigation — an investigation Michael has said he welcomes — is complete, and that's what I'm going to do," Daniels added.
Source: Business Insider
The Los Angeles district attorney's office ultimately declined to press charges against Avenatti, referring the allegations to the LA city attorney for a possible misdemeanor charge.
Source: Business Insider
In late November 2018, Daniels told The Daily Beast that Avenatti had filed his unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against Trump on her behalf "without my approval" and "against my wishes."
Source: Business Insider
On December 4, 2018, Avenatti announced he would not be running for president in 2020.
Source: Business Insider
After federal prosecutors recommended Cohen receive "substantial" prison time, Avenatti took a victory lap, saying he was "happy to see Michael Cohen is in a lot of trouble."
"Over the weeks and months that followed our early March filing, we endured death threats, insults, and numerous attacks on our character, which have continued to this day. We sat and listened while many 'expert pundits' criticized our approach, including our constant media push, failing to recognize that we were playing the 'long game' and had a strategy.
"Today is yet more evidence that our efforts have brought us closer toward realizing our goal. But we are not done. To our supporters - THANK YOU! To the others - better luck next time."
Also in December, a federal judge in California ordered Daniels to pay Trump $293,000 in attorney fees and $1,000 in sanctions for filing a defamation lawsuit against the president.
Source: Business Insider
In another case, a grand jury convened in Chicago in February to evaluate potential sexual misconduct charges against R. Kelly, after Avenatti presented a tape to state attorneys that he alleged shows Kelly engaging in sex acts with a girl who says she was 14 years old at the time.
Kelly is facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in connection to three underage girls and one adult woman. He has denied any wrongdoing and is pleading not guilty.
In March 2019, Avenatti faced another setback in Daniels' cases against Trump when a federal judge tossed out their lawsuit aiming to break the NDA she signed. But Trump's lawyers said they wouldn't sue her for breaking it, so Avenatti declared victory in the case.
Source: Business Insider
A few days later, Daniels announced she had a new lawyer. Avenatti responded cryptically in a tweet, saying he he informed her "in writing" on February 19 that he was "terminating...legal representation of her for various reasons that we cannot disclose publicly due to attorney-client privilege."
"This was not a decision we made lightly and it came only after lengthy discussion, thought and deliberation, as well as consultation with other professionals," Avenatti added, saying he wishes Daniels "the best."
On March 25, 2019, New York federal prosecutors charged Avenatti with attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike, alleging he tried to get the money by "threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial & reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met."
Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is currently awaiting trial.
A few weeks later, federal prosecutors in California charged Avenatti with a slew of separate financial crimes, including embezzling from clients.
Avenatti was charged by a grand jury in the Central District of California on a slew of financial crimes, including 10 counts of wire fraud related to the alleged embezzlement of his clients' money, 19 counts of tax fraud, four counts of bankruptcy fraud, and two counts of bank fraud.
The indictment alleged that Avenatti committed wire fraud by embezzling $12 million from financial settlements and legal judgments won by four of his clients and that he often lied to clients about how much money they had received or falsely said their judgments would be paid out over the course of several months.
One count of the indictment accused Avenatti of embezzling nearly $4 million from a settlement issued to a client with paraplegia - and then using the money for his business ventures.
In late May 2019, federal prosecutors in New York further charged Avenatti with identity theft and defrauding his famous client Stormy Daniels out of $300,000. He has pleaded not guilty.
Source: Business Insider
On January 14, 2020, federal authorities in California said they had arrested Avenatti for violating the conditions of his pretrial release.
- Read more:
- Prosecutors say that Michael Avenatti was $15 million in debt when he sought to extort Nike
- Embattled attorney Michael Avenatti pleaded not guilty to defrauding Stormy Daniels out of $300,000
- Michael Avenatti charged over attempted extortion of Nike, bank fraud, and wire fraud in 2 criminal investigations
- 'I'm not f---ing around': Prosecutors outlined brazen details on how Michael Avenatti allegedly attempted to extort more than $20 million from Nike
