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Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with President Trump, was arrested Wednesday following an allegation of domestic violence, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.


Avenatti, who has denied the allegation, 

 after police took a report on Tuesday of the alleged incident. He was released on $50,000 bail.
Police say the incident occurred at a residence on Santa Monica Boulevard near Beverly Hills, according to 

The identity of the victim of the alleged abuse was not immediately clear. The celebrity gossip website TMZ initially said that Avenatti's estranged wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, was involved, but it backed off its reporting after her attorneys issued a denial.

"Ms. Storie-Avenatti was not subject to any such incident on Tuesday night," her attorneys said in a statement to BuzzFeed.


Avenatti has represented Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, in a 

 in which she is asking to be released from a 2016 agreement in which she received $130,000 in what she has described as "hush money" in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump.
In the past, 

"I wish to thank ... the LAPD for their professionalism," Avenatti said a statement. "They were only doing their jobs in light of the completely bogus allegations against me." 

"I have never been physically abusive in my life nor was I last night. Any accusations to the contrary are fabricated and meant to do harm to my reputation. I look forward to being fully exonerated," he said.

, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.


"I am not going to be intimidated from stopping what I am doing," he told reporters outside of an LAPD station.

 he might make a run for the White House in 2020 as a Democrat. He launched his own political action committee (PAC), named the Fight PAC, in August.
Avenatti's court date is reportedly scheduled for Dec. 5.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


An earlier version of this story said that Michael Avenatti was charged with domestic violence. He was booked on a felony domestic violence charge but has not been formally charged.

Crime, Law and Justice

Politics and Government News

Emily Sullivan

Author

Avenatti was booked Wednesday on felony domestic violence charges a day after police took a report of the alleged incident. He was released on $50,000 bail and has vehemently denied the allegations.

Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' lawyer, arrested on allegations of domestic violence

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