Stormy Daniels’ media-savvy lawyer will not have to defend himself in court against allegations of domestic violence. The lawyer will continue to be investigated for misconduct, but the district attorney has handed the case over to a lower court. This is a sign that the accusations of the actress Mareli Miniutti have not been substantiated. Was it a politically motivated intrigue to discredit the Trump adversary?
Michael Avenatti can breathe a sigh of relief. He is no longer under investigation for a criminal offense. The actress Mareli Miniutti had accused him of domestic violence and physical injury after a violent dispute. For this reason, the prominent lawyer and Trump adversary was briefly arrested.
Now, however, the accusations do not seem to stand up to scrutiny. The district attorney’s office has handed the case over to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office. The latter must now examine whether Miniutti’s allegations are sufficient for an indictment of even a minor offense.
Avenatti’s Reactions on Twitter
The lawyer of porn star Stormy Daniels, who is flirting with a presidential candidacy, is already celebrating this as a significant victory on Twitter. He praises himself for fighting for women’s rights in the past.
Previously, Michael Avenatti’s ex-wives had sided with the lawyer, publicly asserting that they believed it unlikely that Avenatti would become violent during a dispute with a woman.
Avenatti commented on Twitter: »I have been successfully advocating for women and women’s rights my entire career (nearly 20 yrs). I have repeatedly agreed to represent women in their causes when nobody else would touch their case. I am innocent and will not be intimidated into stopping speaking truth to power.«
The Background: Arrest and First Coverage
The whole process was a media spectacle. After Avenatti was arrested, the gossip magazine TMZ reported that the lawyer was being investigated for domestic violence. He was said to have seriously injured his victim’s face. When the first headlines were published, it was still unclear who had made the accusations, which is why many media assumed that Avenatti’s second ex-wife had reported him. She felt compelled to have her lawyer tell them that she had had no contact with Avenatti for months and that such accusations were nonsense.
In the meantime, a weakened version of the initial story was published in the media. The incident with the actress is essentially said to involve a verbal dispute. Avenatti is said to have hit Miniutti with a pillow and held her by the arm.
Avenatti later claimed that the actress hit him first, which triggered his reactions.
Lawyer’s standoff: Classic »She said – He said«
Avenatti’s attorneys Evan Jenness and Richard Beada have released their own statement on the incident: »Ms. Miniutti and Mr. Avenatti had an argument while in Mr. Avenatti’s apartment during which Ms. 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.«
The actress’s lawyer, however, stresses that Miniutti sticks to her sworn statement.
Is Avenatti a victim of a Jacob Wohl conspiracy?
Michael Avenatti is now of the opinion that the right-wing extremist conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl is behind the matter. Supposedly, he caused Avenatti’s arrest to destroy his public image through his intrigue. Wohl has already made similar attempts in the past. He is said to have tried to bribe women in order for them to testify against the special investigator Robert S. Mueller. Mueller is investigating President Donald J. Trump to see whether he or his entourage cooperated with Russia to sabotage Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election campaign.
Avenatti uses Twitter to spread this thesis as well: »Jacob Wohl is a complete fraud who will ultimately be prosecuted for fabricating allegations against me and Mueller. He deserves to be incarcerated to the fullest extent of the law. And he will be.«