Michael Avenatti Arrested on Suspicion of Domestic Violence

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles on suspicions of domestic violence against his “estranged” wife.

Avenatii has become a celebrity figure for his representation of Stormy Daniels. The American people increasingly associate him with combative arguments against Trump on Twitter and during interviews. Even though he has no political background, he is actually entertaining the idea of running for president in the next election round.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Avenatti was arrested with a $50,000 bail. The police told Associated Press that there were visible injuries on the alleged victim but gave little details about what happened. “This is an ongoing investigation and we will provide more details as they become available,” the department tweeted. In the evening, Avenatti made bail and claimed that he expected himself to be fully exonerated.

His law firm gave a statement about the incident on the same day, saying that the accusations were “completely bogus” and that he had never put his hand on his wife.

“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. I am not going to be intimidated from stopping what I am doing. I am a father to two beautiful, smart daughters. I would never disrespect them by touching a woman inappropriately or striking a woman. I am looking forward to a full investigation at which point I am confident I will be fully exonerated. I also want to thank everyone for their support that has reached out. You know my character. You know me as a man and I appreciate it.”

In a tweet, he made a couple points that he believed would prove him innocent. For one, he insisted that his wife Lisa was not with him on Tuesday—the day when the alleged abuse took place. Second, he asserted that he had not been charged with any crime and certainly not a felony. He blamed TMZ, the first media outlet to report the incident, for disseminating untruthful information about the arrest. In fact, his attorney put forth an argument that far-right conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl was responsible for his arrest.

“Ms. Storie-Avenatti was not subject to any such incident on Tuesday night. Further, she was not at Mr. Avenatti’s apartment on the date that this alleged incident occurred,” read a statement released by Avenatti’s attorney. “My client states that there has never been domestic violence in her relationship with Michael and that she has never known Michael to be physically violent toward anyone.”

Stormy Daniels, or Stephanie Clifford, also gave her input on the case. “Right now, they are just allegations, and I’m going to reserve judgment. And I hope everyone does — I know what it feels like to be on the other end of that — until all of the details are discovered,” she said. “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.”

Avenatti was in trouble earlier this year for failing to pay rents for over four months. His law firm, Eagan Avenatti, skipped $213,254 in rent payments. In October, his landlord put him on trial but he did not show up and was ordered to vacate the premise. The firm also suffered a $10-million judgment in a dispute with a former employee. Currently, Avenatti & Associates no long owns Eagan Avenatti.

Featured image via Michael Owen Baker/AP