# Michael Avenatti arrested for Felonny Domestic Violence **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 17, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705 "2018-11-17T21:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/21 "2018-11-18T13:56:27Z")
So far, all we have is that all of the presumed victims say it didn’t happen, and that a prominent Republican is claiming to have framed him. But let’s wait and see the whole story, and then decide. In any event, he was never a serious contender for the Presidency, or even for the Democratic nomination, so there’s no point in discussing what this does for his chances there. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/22 "2018-11-18T14:20:11Z")
> [@mind\_the\_gap](#): > > When Avenatti first showed up with Stormy Daniels, I though he was a tough, straight shooting guy. He seemed to be able to back up his claims, but when the Kavanaugh hearings were going on and he repped one of Kavanaugh’s accusers who turned out to be less believable I thought that was a tripping point. Yeah I initially thought he was savvy, if a bit obnoxious, and might be a decent attack dog for Democrats, but when I read Swetnick’s allegations I realized he had very poor judgement. To think those allegations would be accepted as credible - even if they were true (which I doubt) - is just insane. I believe he played a role in the eventual confirmation of Kavanaugh and loathe him for making Dems look ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/23 "2018-11-18T20:09:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Wohl is mentally challenged in some way; I suspect he is somewhere will into the autism spectrum. While he is good at looking like an idiot online, the idea he could actually pull off a real life criminal setup is preposterous. He couldn’t even pull off a phony website, and he’s a terrible liar prone to weird verbal repetition. He simply does not have the ability in the real world to accomplish such a thing. Unless he’s getting help from some like-minded individuals. He’s already targeted Mueller, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/24 "2018-11-20T22:10:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So far, all we have is that all of the presumed victims say it didn’t happen, and that a prominent Republican is claiming to have framed him. But let’s wait and see the whole story, and then decide. This is new > **[Woman Accuses Michael Avenatti Of Physical Violence In New Court Documents...](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/marcusjones/michael-avenatti-violence-allegations)** > > “At all times, he remained very close to me, such that I was afraid for my safety,” the woman alleged in court filings for a restraining order. It’s some women filing a restraining order against him, not necessarily the same one whose complaint the LAPD responded to in arresting him. He says there’s video exonerating him. Who knows. But, your post is spun up to pretty high RPM I’d have to say. ‘The presumed victims say it didn’t happen’? The police don’t arrest people based on presuming somebody claims they committed a crime, but because somebody did make a complaint, or in case of domestic violence nowadays when an officer sees injuries on people involved in a domestic disturbance calls they have to make an arrest per policy. The ex-wife statements do contradict TMZ’s report it was one of them of them, but that’s about it. And ‘prominent Republican’, seriously? It’s great not to feel the urge to spin everything for your ‘side’. I enjoy that feeling every day. 🙂 We’ll see probably before long, not necessarily certainly, but a more clear indication, if this is horses (Avenatti got physical with lady friend(s) other than his ex-wives) or some form of zebras (an unusual case where the cops come on a domestic disturbance call, the woman has red marks, but it really wasn’t because the guy hit her, dragged her etc; or more far fetched in real life, a ‘set up’). ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/25 "2018-11-20T22:34:30Z")
“Some women” is [apparently his (ex?)girlfriend, Mareli Miniutti](https://theblast.com/michael-avenatti-mariel-miniutti-restraining-order-details/): > [@](#): > > Michael Avenatti is accused of attacking his girlfriend and dragging her around the apartment floor while calling her an “Ungrateful f\*cking bitch,” this according to the declaration submitted by Mareli Miniutti. > > Miniutti claims she had been living with Stormy Daniels’ attorney since January, and on November 13, they got into an argument over money. She claims Avenatti called her an “Ungrateful f\*cking bitch” and began forcefully hitting her in the face with pillows from the bed. > > She says Avenatti exclaimed, “Do not disrespect me,” and then told her she could not sleep in his house that night. She says he grabbed the “wrist of my right arm,” and “attempted to pull me out of bed.” > > Miniutti claims she tried texting a friend for help, but claims Avenatti grabbed the cell phone. The actress says he remained very close to her and she was afraid for her safety. > > … Avenatti sounds like a real charmer. I’m most curious to see if he goes for a Kavanaugh-style flat-out denial or a “it was a misunderstanding”-style softer denial. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/26 "2018-11-20T23:17:43Z")
Here’s a CNN article about the incident. It sounds bad. [https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/politics/avenatti-actress-restraining-order/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/politics/avenatti-actress-restraining-order/index.html) > [@CNN article above](#): > > The revelation comes after Avenatti was arrested by Los Angeles police on suspicion of felony domestic violence last week. CNN has confirmed that Miniutti is the alleged victim in the arrest. Avenatti, who was released on bail the day of the arrest, has not yet been charged in the case. > > In a declaration filed as part of the request for a restraining order in Los Angeles Superior Court, Miniutti, 24, said she and Avenatti had been dating since October 2017 and living together since January of this year. > > She described an altercation last week in which she and Avenatti began fighting about money, leading to him calling her an “ungrateful, f\*\*\*\*\* bitch.” Avenatti proceeded to get “very close to me in a threatening manner that made me afraid,” Miniutti said in the declaration. > > As the altercation worsened, Miniutti alleged, Avenatti “began forcefully hitting me in the face with pillows from the bed,” and then grabbed her wrist and, later, her arm. > > “He dragged me on the floor of the apartment towards and out of the door into the public hallway,” Miniutti said. “I was wearing only my underwear and t-shirt at the time, and suffered scratches to the bare skin on my side and leg.” > > Miniutti said she eventually went down to the ground floor of the building, with Avenatti following. > > Miniutti said a friend picked her up and took Miniutti to her home, after which she called the police and gave them her statement. Miniutti also talks about an earlier incident from last February in her restraining order application. For his part, Avanatti says that witnesses and video from when Miniutti was leaving the apartment will back up his version of events. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/27 "2018-11-20T23:31:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > “Some women” is [apparently his (ex?)girlfriend, Mareli Miniutti](https://theblast.com/michael-avenatti-mariel-miniutti-restraining-order-details/): > > Avenatti sounds like a real charmer. I’m most curious to see if he goes for a Kavanaugh-style flat-out denial or a “it was a misunderstanding”-style softer denial. Hopefully he’s innocent, like Kavanaugh. Right? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/28 "2018-11-20T23:37:23Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Hopefully he’s innocent, like Kavanaugh. Right? There already appears to be many times more physical evidence against him than there ever was against Kavanaugh, but if his being innocent means that Ms. Miniutti was not actually dragged across an apartment and called an “ungrateful fucking bitch”, then yes, the world would be a better place if that didn’t happen. Here’s to hoping. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/29 "2018-11-20T23:59:31Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > “Some women” is [apparently his (ex?)girlfriend, Mareli Miniutti](https://theblast.com/michael-avenatti-mariel-miniutti-restraining-order-details/): > > Avenatti sounds like a real charmer. I’m most curious to see if he goes for a Kavanaugh-style flat-out denial or a “it was a misunderstanding”-style softer denial. The details all sound plausible and provable. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/30 "2018-11-21T01:01:15Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Hopefully he’s innocent, like Kavanaugh. Right? Depends on whether we have a legitimate investigation or not. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/31 "2018-11-21T11:11:19Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > There already appears to be many times more physical evidence against him than there ever was against Kavanaugh … 😕 Cite? I must have missed the news item that police charges were filed against Kavanaugh. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/32 "2018-11-21T11:25:54Z")
I’m not saying he didn’t do it, but I’ll be more convinced when there is actual evidence released to the public. Obviously, Avenatti was arrested by the police, which wouldn’t happen without evidence of something, but whether the case goes forward is a different matter. Abusers typically have a pattern of behavior that precedes violent acts and that pattern of behavior is often fairly well documented. Two of Avenatti’s exes, including his ex wife, have defended him. To date there are no other women who’ve accused him of anything remotely like what he’s been charged with. That being said, people can change. It’s possible that Avenatti’s mounting financial woes are beginning to eat away at him, and maybe this time he finally snapped (the accuser said the altercation was over money). ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/33 "2018-11-21T12:09:40Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Abusers typically have a pattern of behavior that precedes violent acts and that pattern of behavior is often fairly well documented. Two of Avenatti’s exes, including his ex wife, have defended him. I generally agree, but there are those out there who would reluctantly (perhaps even gladly?) keep quiet about past abusive or otherwise detrimental publicity generating behavior by a partner (or ex-partner) if it would possibly stand to effect their own finances negatively (for example regarding alimoney or child support) which is what some apparently think Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer Jose Canseco and Tiger Wood’s wives all did to some extent or another. Also, if Avenatti has made a habit of taking up with financially struggling women nearly 30 years his junior, past abusive behavior seems more likely to have been “settled” privately than if it was between two people on a more equal footing./ ---
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/34 "2018-11-21T16:26:17Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > I generally agree, but there are those out there who would reluctantly (perhaps even gladly?) keep quiet about past abusive or otherwise detrimental publicity generating behavior by a partner (or ex-partner) if it would possibly stand to effect their own finances negatively (for example regarding alimoney or child support) which is what some apparently think Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer Jose Canseco and Tiger Wood’s wives all did to some extent or another./ You can take Tiger Woods off that list. When his wife found something out, she applied the domestic violence to him and got the hell out of dodge. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/35 "2018-11-21T22:20:42Z")
[Avenatti will not be charged with a felony.](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-avenatti-will-not-be-charged-felony-domestic-violence-arrest-n939116) > [@](#): > > Los Angeles prosecutors declined to charge Michael Avenatti with a felony, stemming from his arrest last week on a domestic violence accusation, officials said Wednesday. > > The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office bumped Avenatti’s case down to the L.A. City Attorney’s Office, a separate Southern California prosecution agency that presses misdemeanor cases. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/36 "2018-11-21T22:37:09Z")
In all, aside from hitting her with pillows, he basically just kicked her out of his house from the victim’s own account. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/37 "2018-11-21T22:44:39Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > In all, aside from hitting her with pillows, he basically just kicked her out of his house from the victim’s own account. I don’t think that’s an accurate description at all. Here are some excerpts: > [@](#): > > … Avenatti grabbed the cell phone … Avenatti then allegedly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of bed, on the floor and through the apartment and out the front door into the hallway. Miniutti claims she was injured while being dragged, and provided pictures of her alleged injuries … Miniutti says she began ringing a neighbor’s doorbell until Avenatti allegedly ran out and pulled her back into his apartment … ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/38 "2018-11-21T22:54:28Z")
Where did you get those excerpts? I was just going on the CNN summary quoted above. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/39 "2018-11-21T22:54:48Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Hopefully he’s innocent, like Kavanaugh. Right? We won’t know for thirty six years. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705/40 "2018-11-21T23:08:50Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Where did you get those excerpts? I was just going on the CNN summary quoted above. The article I linked to and quoted an excerpt from in post #25. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-avenatti-arrested-for-felonny-domestic-violence/824705.md?page=3)