An actress who says she formerly dated attorney Michael Avenatti accused the lawyer in court filings Tuesday of dragging her by the arm across the floor of his apartment in Los Angeles following an argument.
Mareli Miniutti, who on Monday filed for a restraining order against Avenatti, wrote in court filings obtained by The Associated Press that Avenatti dragged her across the floor by her arm after shouting expletives at her and calling her “ungrateful” during an argument.
{mosads}Avenatti, who was arrested last week on a felony domestic violence charge, has denied the allegations and stated Monday that he will be “exonerated.” He did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill on Tuesday following the court filings.
“I look forward to a full clearing of my name and disclosure of all of the facts. I have NEVER abused a woman or committed domestic violence against anyone. Any claim to the contrary is completely bogus and fabricated. I am a target. And I will be exonerated,” he tweeted Monday night.
The high-profile attorney best known for his representation of Stormy Daniels in her defamation suit against President Trump also insinuated Monday that the allegations against him stemmed from the work of Jacob Wohl, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist previously involved in a plot to smear special counsel Robert Mueller with false sexual misconduct allegations.
“Jacob Wohl is a complete dirtbag. Dishonest. Unethical. Criminal. He had no right to come after Mueller or me. He will learn a very hard lesson through the judicial system. Very,” Avenatti tweeted Monday.
A frequent critic of Trump’s, Avenatti has said that he is considering a run for the 2020 Democratic Party nomination.