Stormy Daniels and Avenatti meet again, as adversaries

NEW YORK — Stormy Daniels took her star turn on the witness stand Thursday at lawyer Michael Avenatti’s trial, telling a jury she was “very, very angry” and felt “betrayed and stupid” when she was told that the lawyer she had teamed up with against former U.S. president Donald Trump had stolen from her.

Her testimony, which lasted more than three hours and will continue today, was a highly anticipated moment at the trial of a man who parlayed his representation of Daniels in her legal battles against the president in 2018 into a high-profile role as a Trump adversary.

Prosecutors say he cheated the entertainer and adult film actress of nearly $300,000 US of her $800,000 publisher’s advance on her 2018 autobiography, Full Disclosure.

Daniels answered a prosecutor’s questions until the final few minutes of the day, when the showdown with Avenatti became a direct confrontation after Avenatti began representing himself on the trial’s second day.

It began cordially, with Avenatti addressing her from a closed booth where lawyers stand as they question witnesses with: “Ms. Daniels, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon,” Daniels responded.

Avenatti asked her how he was expected to be paid for all the work he did for her since their contract only called for her to pay him $100.

She responded that he was expected to draw money from a crowdfunding website that raised $650,000 for her legal expenses along with a share of any proceeds he obtained in lawsuits against Trump.

“Any other way?” Avenatti asked.

“Not that we agreed upon,” Daniels answered.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman confined most of his questions earlier to the breakdown that occurred in the Avenatti-Daniels relationship between the summer of 2019 and the following February.

Daniels said she has had no communications with Avenatti since February 2019.

Avenatti, 50, has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identify theft.