After threatening to sue a conservative news site for having the audacity to report information contained in public records, Michael Avenatti, the jackass attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, reportedly called Hollywood Reporter scribe Eriq Gardner an “asshole,” and then demanded to speak with his editor over an unflattering story.
In a piece published Wednesday titled, “Is Stormy Daniels Getting Her Money’s Worth From Attorney Michael Avenatti?” Gardner noted the “risky” nature of Avenatti’s legal strategy:
But many lawyers believe Avenatti’s strategy is risky. His argument — Trump didn’t sign the contract with the nondisclosure agreement, so it isn’t valid — isn’t terrible, but it’s no slam dunk. After all, Daniels did accept $130,000 for her silence and hasn’t returned any of it. But if Avenatti ends up losing, the cost to Daniels could be ruinous. One court document suggested the damages might reach $20 million, and that was based on the first leg of the media tour. It could be higher now.
As Mediaite reports, while Gardner was still preparing his piece, Avenatti reached out to The Hollywood Reporter “to express concern:”
As I was preparing this column, Avenatti learned that The Hollywood Reporter would be tallying his media appearances (see below) and reached out to an editor to express concern. Avenatti indicated he’d be open to questions so I sent him a half-dozen. Speculating that the result of my assessment of his work wouldn’t exactly be flattering, he called me up and became somewhat menacing. At one point, he called me an “asshole” with an agenda and accused the lawyers I had spoken to of being jealous of his success. This conversation occurred before he threatened to sue a reporter at The Daily Caller over what he perceived to be “hit pieces.”
After the THR story was published today, Gardner tweeted a screenshot of an email from Avenatti in which Avenatti demanded to speak with his editor at The Hollywood Reporter.
LOL.
(Everyone, please go follow Gardner on Twitter.)
Editor-in-Chief Rachel Stockman, in an Op/Ed today on the thin-skinned Avenatti for (the essential site) LawAndCrime, added to the accounts of the lawyer’s remarkably fragile ego..
After the publication of our April 26 article that Avenatti deemed “unfair” and “complete bullshit,” Avenatti threatened to sue our reporter, Colin Kalmbacher, personally and then our publication — and then whoever “edited” the article as well. Oh, he wasn’t done.
In a phone call the day after the article was published, Avenatti also told me if we didn’t make the changes he requested, he would also verbally bash our reporter on The View and make him look like a legal idiot and “buffoon.” (he was in a car on the way to The View when we talked). Law&Crime has confirmed that Avenatti also threatened to “cut off” certain networks and print publications for coverage that was unfavorable to him personally.
Colin’s article was an admittedly harsh take on Avenatti’s performance in court after he filed a motion to intervene on behalf of porn star Stormy Daniels in the government’s case against Michael Cohen. As a legal analyst and attorney himself, Colin gave his take on how the court proceeding went down — and how Avenatti appeared to struggle to get what he wanted when he appeared before Judge Kimba Wood, who is handling the Michael Cohen criminal case.
Avenatti was not so pleased by Colin’s analysis, and let him know that it was “bullshit,” “nonsense and “completely fabricated,” demanding to speak to his editor.
I got on the phone with the fired up Avenatti shortly thereafter. After spewing a bunch of legal threats, Avenatti had to get off to make it in time for his View hit.
Avenatti also took to Twitter, you know, like a gangsta:
(Everyone please go follow Rachel Stockman and Colin Kalmbacher on Twitter.)
What a thin-skinned jackass. Eat shit, Michael Avenatti. We will report on your legal buffoonery and bombast every damn day and twice on Sundays. Idiot.
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