Stormy Daniels said she will drop Michael Avenatti as her attorney if the domestic violence charges against him are proven to be true.
Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, released a statement on Thursday to New York magazine correspondent Olivia Nuzzi.
These are serious and obviously very troubling allegations, but right now that is all they are: allegations. We should all reserve judgement until the investigation — an investigation Michael has said he welcomes — is complete, and that’s what I’m going to do. But of course I do not condone violence against women and if these allegations prove true I will be seeking new representation.
Avenatti was arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles on a charge of felony domestic violence for an alleged incident on Tuesday involving an unidentified woman.
The woman has been granted an emergency protective order, and Avenatti was later released on $50,000 bail.
He denies all the charges and told reporters he has “never struck a woman” and “will never strike a woman.”
Avenatti is representing Daniels in several lawsuits against President Donald Trump and his associates. She alleges that she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 in hush money by the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, a few weeks before the 2016 election.
Daniels is suing to void the nondisclosure agreement she signed, saying the president never signed it.
Trump has repeatedly denied that he had the affair, but in August, Cohen told a federal court that Trump had personally directed him to make the payment.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
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