Well, it looks like the Daniels-Avenatti alliance could be coming to an end. The adult film actress has been one of the many people taking on President Trump and allegedly had an affair with him. We all knew Trump wasn’t an angel, nor the best role model, but he wasn’t Hillary Rodham Clinton—and he beat her in 2016. Welcome to tribal politics, folks. It’s partisan, clear cut, and devoid of BS. You know what you’re getting. Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a defamation suit against Trump, claiming that the president used his Twitter account maliciously against Daniels' reputation; the latter had alleged a man had accosted her in 2011 in order to intimidate her into keeping quiet about the alleged affair. Well, grab some popcorn because Daniels is now saying that defamation suit filed by Avenatti was green lit without her signing off on it. Oh, and she was pretty much kept in the dark about the second Crowd Fund effort aimed at helping with legal costs. And by kept in the dark, I mean Avenatti straight up didn’t tell her he was going to do this. The Daily Beast has more, including statements from both Avenatti and Daniels, where the latter says she might axe the creepy porn lawyer as her attorney (via Daily Beast):
For months I’ve asked Michael Avenatti to give me accounting information about the fund my supporters so generously donated to for my safety and legal defense. He has repeatedly ignored those requests. Days ago I demanded again, repeatedly, that he tell me how the money was being spent and how much was left. Instead of answering me, without my permission or even my knowledge Michael launched another crowdfunding campaign to raise money on my behalf. I learned about it on Twitter
“I haven’t decided yet what to do about legal representation moving forward. Michael has been a great advocate in many ways. I’m tremendously grateful to him for aggressively representing me in my fight to regain my voice. But in other ways Michael has not treated me with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client. He has spoken on my behalf without my approval. He filed a defamation case against Donald Trump against my wishes. He repeatedly refused to tell me how my legal defense fund was being spent. Now he has launched a new crowdfunding campaign using my face and name without my permission and attributing words to me that I never wrote or said. I’m deeply grateful to my supporters and they deserve to know their money is being spent responsibly. I don’t want to hurt Michael, but it’s time to set the record straight. The truth has always been my greatest ally.
“My goal is the same as it has always been—to stand up for myself and take back my voice after being bullied and intimidated by President Trump and his minions. One way or another I’m going to continue in that fight, and I want everyone who has stood by me to know how profoundly grateful I am for their support.”
Avenatti responds, with some legal experts saying he could land himself into some hot ethics waters with his antics. Daniels could sue Avenatti for malpractice. He was recently evicted from his law offices after failing to pay rent for months.
I am and have always been Stormy’s biggest champion. I have personally sacrificed an enormous amount of money, time and energy toward assisting her because I believe in her. I have always been an open book with Stormy as to all aspects of her cases and she knows that. The retention agreement Stormy signed back in February provided that she would pay me $100.00 and that any and all other monies raised via a legal fund would go toward my legal fees and costs. Instead, the vast majority of the money raised has gone toward her security expenses and similar other expenses. The most recent campaign was simply a refresh of the prior campaign, designed to help defray some of Stormy’s expenses.”
Stephen Gillers, a New York University Law School professor and expert on legal ethics, said Avenatti could face serious problems if he sued Trump against Daniels’ wishes.
“If he filed the case with her name when it was clear that she told him not to, then he could be sued for that,” Gillers said. “He could be sued for malpractice.
Oh, and what about that defamation lawsuit? It was dismissed in October; Daniels has to pay the president’s legal fees:
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by the pornographic film actress Stephanie Clifford against President Trump, ruling that the president had not defamed her on Twitter last spring and ordering her to pay his legal fees.
The tweet in question was posted by the president on April 18, one day after Ms. Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, posted a sketch of a man who, she alleged, threatened her in 2011 as she was first considering speaking out about the affair she said she had with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump called the sketch “a total con job,” depicting “a nonexistent man.”
Exit question:
Serious and important question: If Stormy Daniels fires @MichaelAvenatti, will we still be able to refer to him as Creepy Porn Lawyer???https://t.co/rFA2RHE38T
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) November 28, 2018