STEPHANIE CLIFFORD

A federal appeals court has upheld disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti’s conviction for plotting to extort up to $25 million from shoe giant Nike – one of several legal messes that have landed him behind bars.

A federal judge has rejected Donald Trump’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court.

The hush money case against former President Donald Trump appears headed back to a New York state court.

Donald Trump’s legal problems appear to have escalated significantly with federal charges over the retention of top secret documents, but investigators aren’t done yet.

Former President Donald Trump has emerged largely unscathed politically from his New York indictment.

When Republicans eyeing the White House visit Iowa, they will navigate an evangelical community that is faithful to Donald Trump.

The cover-up is worse than the crime, the expression goes.

America is waiting for former President Donald Trump to surrender to authorities on history-making criminal charges.

Donald Trump isn't the first president, in or out of office, to be in legal trouble.

The indictment against former President Donald Trump involves a payoff to suppress claims of an extramarital affair.

Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to be charged with a crime, the culmination of a political rise defined by unprecedented scandal.

Former President Donald Trump’s court appearance Tuesday will kick off an intense legal battle as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate also fights for his political life.

As Donald Trump fought his way to victory in the 2016 presidential campaign, key allies tried to smooth his bumpy path by paying off two women who had been thinking of going public with allegations of extramarital encounters with the Republican.

Allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are gaining confidence in his White House prospects as former President Donald Trump’s legal woes mount.

Crews for the “The Joker” sequel have been facing the possibility that filming in New York could be disrupted by real-life protests over the Trump case.

The decision whether to indict former President Donald Trump over hush-money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign lies in the hands of a Manhattan grand jury that has been meeting in secret to hear evidence for weeks.

More than six years after Donald Trump's lawyer paid off a porn star, New York prosecutors appear to be close to deciding whether the former president should face charges in connection with that payoff.

Donald Trump’s long-estranged former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, says Manhattan prosecutors recently took his cellphones to preserve evidence related to a hush-money payment he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen says he met Tuesday for about 2½ hours with Manhattan prosecutors, who are again investigating hush money payments he made to a porn star who said she had an extramarital affair with the former president.

Incarcerated lawyer Michael Avenatti has been sentenced in Southern California to 14 years in federal prison for cheating his clients out of millions of dollars.

Former President Donald Trump is sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees.

A pro-Democratic super PAC is accusing the Federal Election Commission of allowing former President Donald Trump “to continue violating the law” by dragging its feet over a complaint concerning Trump’s teasing of a future White House bid.

Incarcerated lawyer Michael Avenatti has pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and a tax-related charge in a Southern California federal court case accusing him of cheating his clients out of millions of dollars.

Michael Avenatti has been sentenced to four years in prison for cheating Stormy Daniels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in book proceeds at the height of his famed clash with then-President Donald Trump.

Convicted California lawyer Michael Avenatti wants leniency at sentencing for defrauding former client Stormy Daniels.

The U.S. government has seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A federal jury in New York has convicted California lawyer Michael Avenatti of cheating porn actor Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000.

A prosecutor has said in closing arguments that California lawyer Michael Avenatti told repeated lies to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2018 to hide his theft of her book proceeds.

Michael Avenatti has wavered on whether he plans to take the witness stand in his own defense at a fraud trial in which he is accused of stealing $300,000 in book proceeds from porn actor Stormy Daniels.

Michael Avenatti is seeking at his fraud trial to portray former client Stormy Daniels as someone who might be delusional.

Stormy Daniels has taken her star turn on the witness stand at California lawyer Michael Avenatti's trial, telling a jury he stole from her and lied to her.

Michael Avenatti says he's glad to be representing himself at his trial over whether he stole money from porn star Stormy Daniels.

A prosecutor has told a jury in an opening statement that California lawyer Michael Avenatti stole nearly $300,000 in book proceeds from porn star Stormy Daniels while a defense lawyer says it's not true.

The porn star who catapulted Michael Avenatti to fame four years ago will get a starring role in a New York courtroom when prosecutors try to prove the California lawyer cheated her of $300,000 in book proceeds.

Michael Avenatti, the once high-profile California attorney who regularly taunted then-President Donald Trump, was introduced to prospective jurors who will decide whether he cheated porn star Stormy Daniels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lawyers for Michael Avenatti say there is a strong likelihood that the once high-flying California attorney will testify at a New York trial where he is accused of swindling porn star Stormy Daniels out of a book deal's proceeds.

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says he has completed his three-year prison term and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement investigations.

New York prosecutors have asked a judge to order California lawyer Michael Avenatti to begin serving a 2 1/2-year prison term.

A White House press secretary and chief of staff to then-first lady Melania Trump paints a deeply unflattering picture of Donald Trump in a book out next week.

A California judge has declared a mistrial in the embezzlement trial of attorney Michael Avenatti, who is charged with stealing millions in settlement money from his clients.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti is expected in court in California for a trial on charges he embezzled millions of dollars from his clients.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti is charged with embezzling millions of dollars from his clients and says at his trial in California that he “gave people who had no chance a fighting chance.”.

A New York judge has sentenced the combative California lawyer Michael Avenatti to 2 1/2 years in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

A judge has postponed until July 9 the sentencing of Michael Avenatti for his conviction in an extortion case involving sportswear giant Nike.

Prosecutors are urging a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.

Lawyers for Michael Avenatti say he should spend no more than six months behind bars after a jury concluded he tried to extort $25 million from Nike.

A federal election watchdog fined the publisher of the National Enquirer $187,500 for a payment it made to keep under wraps a story about former President Donald Trump’s alleged affair with a former Playboy model.

The News Leaders Association has given Ron Nixon of The Associated Press its first-ever News Leader of the Year award.

Vance Jr. fought for a year and a half to get access to former President Donald Trumps tax records. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)NEW YORK – Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. fought for a year and a half to get access to former President Donald Trump’s tax records. Whether Trump's records will contain evidence of a crime is uncertain. It isn’t clear, though, whether Trump’s tax records will add much to that part of the probe. “They'll look at the billings of attorneys to see what their expenses were for.”Monday's ruling does not ensure the public will see Trump's financial records.

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, adult film actress Stormy Daniels attends the opening of the adult entertainment fair "Venus," in Berlin. When Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, he remained "Individual-1" in the federal campaign finance crimes case against his former attorney, Michael Cohen. The prosecution stemmed from six-figure payments Cohen arranged to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to keep them quiet during the campaign about alleged affairs with Trump. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from porn star Stormy Daniels, who sought to revive a defamation lawsuit she filed against former President Donald Trump. The justices did not comment in leaving in place a lower court ruling dismissing the case.

The former "Apprentice" contestant is trying to get her defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump moving again now that he's no longer president. Federal prosecutors in Washington, meanwhile, have charged some 200 Trump supporters with crimes related to the riot, including more serious conspiracy charges. There has been no indication that Trump would be charged in the riot though prosecutors have said they are looking at all angles. The same U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan also appears to have moved on from its investigation of Trump’s inaugural committee. Recently, her office has won a series of court rulings forcing Trump’s company and a law firm it hired to turn over troves of records.

When Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, he remained "Individual-1" in the federal campaign finance crimes case against his former attorney, Michael Cohen. The prosecution stemmed from six-figure payments Cohen arranged to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to keep them quiet during the campaign about alleged affairs with Trump. Federal prosecutors charged Cohen with skirting campaign contribution rules by arranging the hush-money payment to Daniels and a similar payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cohen and Daniels are united not only in infamy but deep regret over Trump. “I’ve been face to face with evil in the most intimate way,” Daniels said.

When Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, he remained "Individual-1" in the federal campaign finance crimes case against his former attorney, Michael Cohen. The prosecution stemmed from six-figure payments Cohen arranged to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to keep them quiet during the campaign about alleged affairs with Trump. Trump himself had been publicly implicated by prosecutors as complicit in Cohen's campaign finance crimes during his 2016 run for office. The attorney spoke on the condition of anonymity because prosecutors have not discussed the case publicly. The Manhattan prosecutor’s probe includes a look at the 2016 hush-money payoffs.

FILE - This Thursday, June 6, 2019 file photo shows the U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington. “It required all kinds of shoe-leather investigating to identify who was really behind these shell companies,” recalled Alonso. For the first time, shell companies will be required to provide the names of their owners or face stiff penalties and jail sentences. The information will be stored in a confidential database accessible to federal law enforcement and shared with banks who are often unwitting accomplices to international corruption. Box and a registered agent who is frequently a law firm dedicated to churning out companies in bulk.

FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington. The president's legal entanglements are likely to intensify when leaves the White House in January 2021 and loses immunity from prosecution. The probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is one of several legal entanglements likely to intensify when Trump loses power — and immunity from prosecution — upon leaving the White House. Trump faces two New York state inquiries into whether he misled tax authorities, banks or business partners. Carroll says Trump raped her in the mid-1990s in a New York department store.

Behind the World Series, Fox was the most popular broadcast network in prime time, averaging 8.2 million viewers. NBC had 5.8 million viewers, ABC had 4.6 million, CBS had 4.4 million, Ion Television had 1.2 million, Univision had 1.1 million, Telemundo had 1 million and the CW had 620,000. ABC's “World News Tonight” led the evening news ratings race with an average of 8.6 million viewers. NBC's “Nightly News” had 7.2 million viewers and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.3 million. World Series, Game 3: L.A. Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay, Fox, 8.16 million.

While it’s relatively rare for first ladies to push back so strongly against negative coverage, Mrs. Trump has repeatedly spoken out about her critics. Wolkoff, in addition to her book, also released audio recordings in which the first lady is heard complaining about having to decorate the mansion for Christmas. Myra Gutin, a professor at Rider University and an author on first ladies, said Mrs. Trump's post probably wasn’t smart politics just weeks before the election. She wrote in the book about her work on Trump's inauguration and blamed the first lady for not defending her after questions arose about excessive spending by the committee. Her book chronicled a yearslong relationship with the first lady and their regular lunches in New York City and emoji-filled text exchanges.

The court could allow the immediate enforcement of a subpoena issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. or block it temporarily. Even if the court rules against Trump, however, the records would normally not be made public but turned over to Vance's office. This is the second time the records issue has reached the high court. But the high court returned the Vance case and another, similar case involving records sought by Congress to lower courts to allow Trump's attorneys to make additional arguments. In August, a district court judge rejected Trump's attorneys' renewed efforts to block Vance's access to the records.

But I bet theyd think its cool that I slept with a porn star.The White House called Cohen's memoir fan fiction." It seemed to them that I wouldnt listen to anyone, not even the people who loved me most, as I gradually gave up control of my mind to Trump, Cohen writes. I was the canary in the coal mine for the millions of Americans who are still mesmerized by the power of Trump, Cohen writes. The memoir offers an introspective and at times self-loathing apology for the role Cohen played in Trump's political ascent. This story is all I have left for my wife, my children and the country I love so much, Cohen writes.

FILE - In this March 6, 2019 file photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, returns to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington. But I bet theyd think its cool that I slept with a porn star.The White House called Cohen's memoir fan fiction." It seemed to (my family) that I wouldnt listen to anyone, not even the people who loved me most, as I gradually gave up control of my mind to Trump, Cohen writes. In a far more personal episode, Cohen writes of Trump leering at Cohens then-15-year-old daughter at Trumps New Jersey golf club in 2012. This story is all I have left for my wife, my children and the country I love so much, Cohen writes.

FILE - This July 24, 2020, file photo shows Michael Cohen, center, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, returning to his apartment, in New York, after being released from prison. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK When Michael Cohen testified before Congress last year, Republican lawmakers worried aloud that President Donald Trump's former fixer would parlay the spectacle and his criminal exploits into a bestseller. It pains me that we are sitting here adding another chapter to his book," said Rep. Carol Miller of West Virginia. The New York Attorney General's Office declined to comment. Cohen was released to home confinement in July and the government lifted a ban on him speaking publicly.

Mrs. Trump said months ago that she's ready for another four years. Only the second foreign-born first lady in U.S. history, Mrs. Trump is a native of Slovenia, a former communist country in eastern Europe. The first lady is set to speak Tuesday night from the renovated Rose Garden, despite questions about using the White House for a political convention. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said people appreciate that Mrs. Trump is her own person. Last week, after Mrs. Obama's forceful rebuke of Trump in an address to the Democrats' largely virtual convention, social media lit up with tongue-in-cheek speculation about whether Mrs. Trump would give the same speech.

LOS ANGELES – A California court ordered President Donald Trump this week to pay $44,100 in attorney fees to porn actress Stormy Daniels to pay for her legal battle over her effort to cancel a hush money deal brokered to keep her quiet about their sexual relationship a decade ago. As a part of that deal, the losing party would pay the lawyers fees. The president's personal lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Daniels, who filed the suit under her legal name Stephanie Clifford. Trump's lawyers said Daniels didn't win the case and therefore wasn't entitled to lawyer fees, but Judge Robert Broadbelt III disagreed in his ruling Monday, posted online by Daniels' lawyers. The defamation lawsuit was thrown out and Daniels is appealing the decision and an order to pay Trump almost $300,000 in attorney fees.

Trump's lawyers immediately appealed Marrero’s Thursday ruling to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The president said he expected the case to end up back before the Supreme Court. The appeal means it is unlikely Vance's office will get its hands on Trump’s tax returns before November’s presidential election. “The Supreme Court said it’s a fishing expedition. “We’re not doing things wrong, but they’ll say, ‘Let’s go in and inspect every deal he’s ever done,’” Trump said.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, returns to his apartment after being released from prison, Friday, July 24, 2020, in New York. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen released on parole saying he believes the government retaliated against him for writing a book about Trump. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer has been offered work as a consultant and to make media appearances for a political action committee, his lawyer said Wednesday. Michael Cohen hopes to accept the offer to work on the committee’s behalf, attorney Danya Perry told U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in a letter aimed at ensuring the judge does not object. Cohen, 53, began serving the sentence in May 2019 after pleading guilty to campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress, among other charges.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, returns to his apartment after being released from prison, Friday, July 24, 2020, in New York. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen released on parole saying he believes the government retaliated against him for writing a book about Trump. An agreement between lawyers for the government and Cohen attorney Danya Perry lifting the media ban that had prevented Cohen from speaking publicly awaited a signature by a federal judge. U.S. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein last week ordered him released, saying the governments action was retaliatory and a violation of his First Amendment rights. In a written declaration, Cohen said his book will provide graphic and unflattering details about the Presidents behavior behind closed doors.

FILE- In this May 21, 2020 file photo, Michael Cohen arrives at his Manhattan apartment in New York after being furloughed from prison because of concerns over the coronavirus. A judge ordered the release from prison, Thursday, July 23 of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, saying he believes the government retaliated against him for writing a book about Trump. Cohen sued federal prison officials including Attorney General William Barr on Monday, July 20 saying he was returned to an Otisville, New York, prison to stop him from publishing a tell-all book about his experiences with Trump. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress, among other crimes. He said he worked openly on his manuscript until May at Otisvilles prison library and discussed his book with prison officials.

The lawsuit on behalf of Michael Cohen was filed late Monday in Manhattan federal court, alleging his First Amendment rights were violated when he was returned to the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York, on July 9. Cohen, 53, had been furloughed in May as part of an attempt to slow the spread of the virus in federal prisons. He had served only a year of his three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress, among other crimes. Monday's lawsuit said Cohen made it clear recently that he planned to release a tell-all book just before the November election. Cohen has remained in solitary confinement since he was taken to Otisville, the lawsuit said.

It isnt just about the president," attorney Carey Dunne said of an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. a week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Vance's favor. There are other individuals and entities who ... could end up above the law as a result of this delay." Trump's attorney, William S. Consovoy, said the president believed there were strong arguments to be made that the subpoena was not properly tailored" and instead copied verbatim portions of Congressional subpoenas. He also expressed interest in resolving Trump's claims quickly, noting that lawyers submitted their arguments last year within six days. The top court returned the fight over the subpoena to Marrero, saying Trumps lawyers may still challenge it in the same manner as anyone served with a subpoena.

The Supreme Court ruled in two cases involving access to President Donald Trumps financial records. One case had to do with whether Congress could get access to Trumps financial records. Here's a look at the cases behind the requests:WHY DOES THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY WANT THE RECORDS? The Manhattan district attorney subpoenaed for Trump's financial records, specifically his taxes. Mazars also is the recipient of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s subpoena.

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled in two cases involving access to President Donald Trump’s financial records. One case had to do with whether Congress could get access to Trump’s financial records. Here's a look at the cases behind the requests:WHY DOES THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY WANT THE RECORDS? The Manhattan district attorney subpoenaed for Trump's financial records, specifically his taxes. Mazars also is the recipient of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s subpoena.

The Justice Department moved abruptly Friday, June 19, 2020, to oust Berman, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan overseeing key prosecutions of President Donald Trumps allies and an investigation of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. His statement came hours after Attorney General William Barr said Berman was stepping down from his position. The standoff set off an extraordinary clash between the Justice Department and one of the nations top districts, which has tried major mob and terror cases over the years. Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump's Justice Department of political interference, and those concerns have also been pervasive among some rank and file officials in the agency. But as U.S. attorney, he won over some skeptics after he went after Trump allies, and had a direct hand in other investigations that have angered the president.

President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer was released federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, was released from federal prison Thursday to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was released on furlough as part of an attempt to slow the spread of the virus in federal prisons. Other high-profile inmates have also been released as the number of coronavirus cases soars in the federal prison system.

WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she called President Donald Trump morbidly obese because he's put down women for their weight. Pelosi on Monday called Trump morbidly obese. He responded by dismissing her as a waste of time.Pelosi's level of sympathy is unclear. He's noted, too, that the House is out of session this week, while the Senate is in Washington. Asked about Trump on various topics, Pelosi several times referred to Trump's habit of showing disrespect toward women. On the unfinished rescue package, Pelosi noted that Republicans went first in proposing the previous, massive version, which she said contained only the GOP's priorities.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. Cohen, 53, began serving his sentence last May and was scheduled to be released from prison in November 2021. Cohen was told last month he would be released to serve the rest of his three-year sentence at home in response to concerns about coronavirus. Other high-profile inmates have also been released as the number of coronavirus cases soars in the federal prison system.

For others, especially the elderly and people with existing health problems, it can cause many other serious illnesses, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. WUHAN REPORTS NO NEW VIRUS CASES Chinese authorities say that the city that was the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak and its surrounding province had no new cases to report, offering hope to the world. EUROPEAN SHARES OPEN HIGHER AFTER ASIA SLIDES Shares are mostly higher in Europe after the European Central Bank promised $817 billion in asset purchases to support markets. BUCS FANS EUPHORIC OVER POSSIBLE BRADY SIGNING Tampa Bay, which ranked 30th out of 32 teams in home attendance last season, has already seen an increased demand for season tickets.

FILE - In this July 23, 2019, file photo, California attorney Michael Avenatti walks from a courthouse in New York, after facing charges. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)NEW YORK, N.Y. – Michael Avenatti, the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike. “Michael Avenatti has been a fighter his entire life. “Michael Avenatti is a D-list attorney but a Grade-A scumbag,” Sasse said in a release. In the end, Michael Avenatti wasn’t a real attorney, he just played one on TV.”Many of Avenatti's television appearances occurred while he was representing Daniels and after the arrest of Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Not guilty,” Srebnick told Manhattan federal court jurors of the meeting Avenatti had last March with Nike attorneys. Howard Srebnick told jurors that Avenatti was “on a mission” for his clients when he met with Nike's lawyers. In his closing, Podolsky said Avenatti was looking out for himself and his financial needs rather than his client, Gary Franklin, a Los Angeles amateur basketball coach. “Michael Avenatti, facing a mountain of debt, saw light at the end of the tunnel,” Podolsky said. On one recorded conversation played for jurors, Avenatti could be heard telling Nike lawyers: “A few million dollars doesn't move the needle for me.

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, California attorney Michael Avenatti arrives at federal court in New York. The judge also ruled in favor of prosecutors on two other major subjects the defense had argued to exclude if Avenatti testified. Gardephe said he would let prosecutors question Avenatti about his finances, except for references to spousal and child support. The judge also rejected a request by the defense to call as witnesses several Nike employees or lawyers and an attorney who works with Mark Geragos, a lawyer who participated with Avenatti in some discussions with Nike prior to Avenatti's March 2019 arrest. Once a regular guest on cable television programs, Avenatti has been housed for weeks at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan after Los Angeles prosecutors alleged he violated his bail conditions.

But what Avenatti said and how he said it in his representation of an amateur California basketball coach who was mad at Nike, “that's not extortion,” Srebnick insisted. His eyes canvas a courtroom as large as a basketball gymnasium, settling on jurors, journalists, lawyers and spectators. When the first witness — attorney Scott Wilson — was asked to identify Avenatti in the courtroom, Avenatti sprang to his feet before Wilson could point him out. “When he looked at the coach, he did not see a client to help," the prosecutor said. “He saw dollar signs for himself.”Srebnick told jurors that Avenatti's negotiations with Nike were “not extortion” but were the enthusiastic representation of a coach whose league of 40 teams in California was being sabotaged by Nike withdrawing its annual $72,000 sponsorship.

The bar is seeking to put Avenatti on involuntary inactive status, and Morgenstern said it is likely he will eventually be disbarred. “Nothing Mr. Avenatti says changes the fact that he appears to have falsified the payment dates in Mr. Barela’s settlement agreement and stolen his settlement money,” attorney Steven Bledsoe said. “It appears Mr. Avenatti loaned the client’s own money to the client,” Hanna said. “Money that Mr. Avenatti had already secretly collected.”Avenatti has previously denied stiffing Barela, saying all the funds were accounted for. If the bar prevails, Avenatti will effectively be suspended from practicing while it seeks his future disbarment.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) - Stormy Daniels has settled with the city of Columbus, Ohio, for $450,000, according to a city spokesperson, after she claimed she was targeted and arrested at a strip club last year. Daniels told CNN affiliate WBNS-TV she was pleased with the outcome of the settlement, and that the lawsuit was never about the money. "I'm really proud of how the city of Columbus stepped up and took responsibility in actively making changes and holding those officers accountable." Daniels filed a lawsuit in January against several members of the Columbus Police Department's vice unit, claiming civil rights violations. In June, the city of Columbus was added to the lawsuit because Daniels claimed the city violated her constitutional rights.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels was arrested at a strip club in Ohio on July 12, 2018. (CNN) - Five Columbus, Ohio, police officers face disciplinary measures in connection with the July 2018 arrest of Stormy Daniels at a local club, police said Wednesday. Police charged Daniels with three misdemeanor counts of illegally touching a patron at the Sirens Gentlemen's Club. Daniels is claiming false arrest, malicious prosecution, conspiracy to violate the Fourth and 14th amendments and abuses of process violating Ohio law. An amended complaint in June added the city as a defendant, claiming Columbus violated Daniels' constitutional rights.