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....
Lawyer: Michael Avenatti Too Isolated in Jail to Help Case
NEW YORK — Michael Avenatti is housed in drug kingpin El Chapo's chilly former cell, making it impossible to properly prepare for an extortion trial that was supposed to start his week, his lawyer said. Attorney Scott Srebnick wrote in a letter to a federal judge late Sunday that Avenatti,...
Avenatti Arrested for New Alleged Crimes While on Bail
LOS ANGELES — Michael Avenatti, the brash former attorney for the porn actress Stormy Daniels, was arrested for allegedly violating bail by committing numerous financial crimes to conceal assets from creditors while living a lavish lifestyle, U.S. prosecutors alleged in a court document released Wednesday. Avenatti was arrested by IRS...
Judge Rejects Trump Challenge to Release of His Tax Returns
NEW YORK — A federal judge Monday emphatically rejected President Donald Trump's challenge to the release of his tax returns to New York prosecutors, saying the president's broad claim of immunity from all criminal investigations is at odds with the Constitution. But an appeals court blocked any handover of the...
Avenatti Charged With Embezzlement, Fraud, Cheating on Taxes
LOS ANGELES — Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged in a 36-count federal indictment alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, did not pay his taxes, committed bank fraud and lied in bankruptcy proceedings. "I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version...
Key Facts in the Federal Cases Against Michael Avenatti
NEW YORK — Key facts in the federal case against celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti: Who Is Michael Avenatti? Avenatti, 48, became a household name last year through his representation of Stormy Daniels, the porn actress who claims she had an affair with President Donald Trump years before he took office....
Walters: What Are the Limits on a 'Gig Economy?'
The term “gig economy” entered the popular lexicon a few years ago, referring to new industries that rely on technology and non-employee workers, such as the Uber and Lyft rides-on-call services. In fact, however, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Californians work as “independent contractors,” ranging from emergency room...
California Judge Orders Porn Star to Pay Trump Legal Fees
LOS ANGELES — Porn star Stormy Daniels must pay President Donald Trump nearly $293,000 for his attorneys' fees and another $1,000 in sanctions after her defamation suit against him was dismissed, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered Tuesday. Trump's attorney, Charles Harder, had requested nearly $390,000 in fees, but...
Michael Avenatti Arrested in LA on Domestic Violence Charge
LOS ANGELES — Michael Avenatti, who skyrocketed to fame as a chief critic of President Donald Trump and the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony domestic violence, Los Angeles police said. Police had responded to a domestic violence incident Tuesday and took a...
Ex-Trump Lawyer Cohen Pleads Guilty in Hush-Money Scheme
NEW YORK — Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer," pleaded guilty Tuesday to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to influence the election. Under a plea bargain...