Stormy Daniels news – Michael Avenatti begins cross-examination of porn star in his own fraud trial
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Stormy Daniels testified today in a Manhattan court against her former lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is alleged to have swindled her out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr Avenatti has said he will question her for “six hours”, but the judge seemed unimpressed by the suggestion.
His cross-examination of Ms Daniels began just ten minutes before the end of Thursday’s proceedings. Mr Avenatti took over representation of himself from his legal team on Tuesday, saying it is “the best chance at winning” the case.
The California lawyer is accused of stealing $300,000 of the money Ms Daniels was owed for her autobiography. He is charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Mr Avenatti became well known nationally in 2018 as he represented Ms Daniels in lawsuits against Donald Trump. He was briefly something of a hero for many anti-Trumpers, but come 2020 he began a spectacular fall from grace that saw him sentenced to jail for trying to extort Nike out of millions of dollars.
Stormy Daniels takes the stand
The government has finally summoned the trial’s core witness to give her testimony.
The questioning begins...
Ms Daniels’s testimony kicks off with questions about her stage name, her beliefs in paranormal activity, and her reasons for firing Avenatti:
When Daniels met Avenatti
Stormy Daniels is testifying about her early dealings with Michael Avenatti:
The Avenatti-Daniels contract
Adam Klasfeld has the story on the contract between Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti that’s at the core of her case against him.
Court goes into recess
The trial has broken for lunch. Expect more updates soon...
Catch up: today’s events so far
As we wait for the court to return from lunch, The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has this update on today’s proceedings:
Stormy Daniels accused Michael Avenatti of theft and dishonesty over the proceeds of a book publishing deal as she took the witness stand in her former attorney’s trial on Thursday.
“I hired another attorney because he stole from me and lied to me,” Ms Daniels said during an opening salvo under questioning from the prosecution.
Mr Avenatti is on trial in Manhattan for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges over claims he stole nearly $300,000 from a $800,000 advance paid to Ms Daniels for her 2018 book Full Disclosure.
Ms Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, said she was introduced to Mr Avenatti by another attorney as she wanted to inquire about breaking a non-disclosure agreement with former president Donald Trump.
Ms Daniels has maintained the had sexual tryst with the former president, which he has denied.
She and Mr Avenatti met at the Waldorf-Astoria in BeverlyHills in February 2018, and signed an attorney-client agreement over lunch the next day.
Ms Daniels said she paid Mr Avenatti an initial fee of $100 and agreed that he would set up a crowdfunded defence fund to raise funds for their case.
Ms Daniels said the fund brought in $650,000, and Avenatti maintained control over it.
Avenatti is expected to cross-examine Ms Daniels after lunch.
Daniels questioned about book contract
Stormy Daniels is being asked about her book, Full Disclosure.
She is presented with her publishing contract and asked if Mr Avenatti told her he would take some of the advance for himself. Ms Daniels says he did not.
Asked about her reaction to the contract, she recalls being very excited with her friends and took a picture of it.
She says she then sent the picture to Mr Avenatti because he asked her to do so and she did not have access to a scanner.
Asked why she didn’t ask him to sign the contract for her, she laughs and replies that she signs all of her own contracts.
Daniels says Avenatti said he wouldn’t take cut from book advance
Ms Daniels says she spent 10 years working on the book and once she had finished and received the advance she was smiling so much she texted Mr Avenatti: “I can’t feel my face”.
Mr Avenatti texted back that the pair made a good team.
She was making a commercial for an adult film company at the time and called the defendant. She testifies that he called her and American hero and said that he would never take a penny from her for the book because she was “courageous”, had “earned it”, and “deserved it”.
Daniels reiterates she understood there would be no cut for Avenatti from book deal
Ms Daniels reads her engagement letter from Janklow & Nesbit detailing their engagement for her then-untitled memoir, dated April 13, 2018.
She testifies that Luke Janklow was supposed to get a 15 per cent cut. Ms Daniels is again asked why she didn’t have Mr Avenatti sign the engagement letter, and again, amused, she says because she can sign her own name.
AUSA Robert Benjamin Sobelman asks her what she understood Mr Avenatti’s split of the money she made from the book would be, she responds: “Nothing.”