Ottawa Citizen

Avenatti’s ex-wife gets plane, Ferrari

- SPOUSAL SUPPORT AMANDA LEE MYERS

LOS ANGELES • A Southern California judge has transferre­d assets including an airplane and a Ferrari from porn actress Stormy Daniels’ lawyer as part of his divorce, according to court records obtained Thursday.

Orange County Judge Carol Henson on Tuesday ordered some of Michael Avenatti’s assets be liquidated and sold for back child and spousal support.

Although the total amount Avenatti owes is unclear, he was previously ordered to pay more than $150,000 a month in child and spousal support.

In Tuesday’s order, Henson said Avenatti must pay at least $80,000 to Lisa Storie-Avenatti on top of the transferre­d assets by Jan. 2.

Among those assets are a 2017 Ferrari GT Spider, five watches including a Rolex that retails for $12,000, a sculpture by famed architect Frank Gehry and a six-seat business jet worth millions.

Avenatti’s attorney, Matt DeArmey, said the asset transfer is a standard part of divorce cases.

The 47-year-old Avenatti announced Tuesday that he’s not running for president following a few tumultuous weeks for the attorney, who has been a scathing critic of President Donald Trump.

Avenatti was arrested on Nov. 14 on a felony domestic violence charge stemming from allegation­s he roughed up a girlfriend. Prosecutor­s declined to bring felony charges against him in the case, but they are still investigat­ing whether he should face a misdemeano­ur charge. Avenatti has vehemently denied wrongdoing.

On Monday, Trump’s attorneys asked a judge for nearly $800,000 in attorneys’ fees and penalties from Daniels for her failed defamation lawsuit, which was filed by Avenatti. Daniels has appealed the decision tossing the lawsuit, and Avenatti has said he expects to prevail at a higher court.

Avenatti tweeted that he made the decision not to run for president in 2020 at the urging of his family, and if not for their concerns, he would go for it.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges she had a one-night affair with Trump in 2006. She sued him earlier this year seeking to break a non-disclosure agreement she signed days before the 2016 election about the tryst as part of a $130,000 hush money settlement. Trump has denied the affair, but essentiall­y acknowledg­ed the payment to Daniels.

Despite the deal to stay quiet, Daniels spoke out publicly and alleged that five years after the affair she was threatened to keep quiet by a man she did not recognize. She also released a composite sketch of him.

She sued Trump for defamation after he responded to the allegation by tweeting: “A sketch years later about a nonexisten­t man.”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada