No Felony Charges For Michael Avenatti After LA Arrest
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Michael Avenatti, the celebrity attorney for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, will not face felony charges following his arrest on domestic violence allegations for an incident that occurred in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Century City last week.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it had referred Avenatti's case to the L.A. city attorney for possible misdemeanor counts.
Avenatti, 47, was arrested Nov. 14 after Los Angeles police had responded to an alleged domestic violence incident in Century City the prior day, Nov. 13.
He was initially booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence and released on $50,000 bail.
"I am thankful that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has rejected filing any charges against me after a fair, careful and thorough investigation," Avenatti said in a statement Wednesday. "I have maintained my innocence since the moment of my arrest. I wish to thank my supporters, friends, family, attorneys and clients for the outpouring of support they provided. This Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for justice."
Avenatti is best known as the lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims she had a sexual encounter with President Donald Trump in 2006 and was paid hush money to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the affair. Mr. Trump has denied having the affair.
This comes after an actress named Mareli Miniutti obtained a temporary restraining order Monday against Avenatti. Miniutti, 24, claimed in court papers that she and Avenatti began living together in January and that he dragged her across the floor of his Los Angeles apartment following an argument about money.
Avenatti's attorneys, Evan Jenness and Richard Beada, gave a statement to CNN saying the couple had an argument, during which Miniutti "behaved in a volatile, agitated and irrational manner."
"However, Mr. Avenatti did not inflict any corporal injury or cause any traumatic condition upon Ms. Miniutti," they said.
Another hearing on the restraining order is set for Dec. 10.
Representatives for the L.A. City Attorney's Office could not be immediately reached for comment.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)