REUTERS: California attorney Michael Avenatti, known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump, was more than US$15 million in debt when he allegedly tried to extort as much as US$25 million from Nike Inc , U.S. prosecutors claimed.
"Any claim that I was US$15 million in debt is completely bogus, ludicrous and absurd. I can't wait for the trial in this case, at which point the TRUTH and FACTS will come out and I will be fully exonerated," Avenatti said in an emailed statement. The celebrity lawyer is accused by prosecutors of demanding money from the athletic wear company in exchange for agreeing to scrap a threatened news conference to discuss Nike's alleged improper payments to elite college basketball recruits.A trial is scheduled for late in January. Nike, which has denied wrongdoing, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
The negative reaction to michaelavenatti doesn't surprise me, particularly with the law society of his home state, California, looking to indefinitely suspend his local licence to practice his preferred profession (