The drama behind Stormy Daniels rise and fall from fame got a surprise final twist on Wednesday.
Michael Avenatti, who became famous as the lawyer for Stormy, said Tuesday that he no longer represents the porn actress.
In the last year, the duo rose to become household names in their fight against President Donald Trump, dominating cable news shows for months and taunting the president. As conservative pundits hit back, Avenatti became Daniels’ top promoter, defending her career and painting her as an American hero.
He announced he was exploring a run for president. They were going to sell millions of books.
Then, suddenly, the headlines stopped — and now he’s quit.
Avenatti said Tuesday that he told Daniels last month he was terminating their agreement and had made the decision after lengthy discussions. He would not provide details.
Daniels said in her own post that she’s hired another attorney, Clark Brewster, who will “review all legal matters” that she’s been involved in. Brewster, an Oklahoma-based attorney, said he now officially represents Daniels and will “serve as primary counsel in all legal matters going forward.”
Before Avenatti began representing Daniels in February 2018, he was virtually unknown outside of the California legal community. But within months, he had become a media darling lawyer famous for his repeated talk show appearances — all of them involved him bashing Trump.
Without a spotlight grabbing lawyer, it’s likely this is the last America will hear from Stormy Daniels.
Avenatti, on the other hand, seems to be a media figure determined to stay in the spotlight.
Avenatti had toyed with a 2020 presidential run, but ultimately ruled that out. He’s also been involved in some of America’s biggest cases in the last year, including representing dozens of parents whose children were separated from them at the U.S. border as a result of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. More recently, he’s been representing women who said they were sexually abused by R&B star R. Kelly.
After Daniels was arrested at an Ohio strip club and accused of illegally rubbing undercover police officers’ faces against her bare breasts during a performance, Avenatti met with prosecutors and they agreed to drop the charges hours later. They said an Ohio law prohibiting contact between strippers and customers applies only to someone who “regularly” performs at a club. In Daniels’ case, it was her first appearance at the club.
But their relationship had rocky spots as well.
In November, Daniels told the Daily Beast that Avenatti had filed a defamation case against Trump “against my wishes” and alleged that he refused to give her an accounting of the funds collected by her supporters, would not tell her how the money was spent or how much was left in the crowdsourced legal defense fund.
Avenatti was arrested in November on a felony domestic violence charge in Los Angeles when a woman he was dating said he dragged her across the floor of his apartment after an argument over money.
He was later released, and the city attorney’s office later said a hearing would be held in the matter.
The Associated Press contributed to this article