Paraplegic sues Michael Avenatti for siphoning away $4 million settlement
By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) - Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump, has been sued by a paraplegic client who accused him of siphoning away a $4 million settlement he had won.
Geoffrey Johnson is seeking at least $9.5 million plus punitive damages, from Avenatti and several of his former colleagues in a complaint filed with the Orange County Superior Court in California.
Johnson said he obtained the settlement from Los Angeles County after abuse from sheriff's deputies following an improper 2011 arrest led to two suicide attempts, and that he became a paraplegic by jumping from an elevated floor at a county jail.
His law firm is expected to discuss the case at a press conference on Thursday.
"Mr. Johnson's claims are categorically false and frivolous, and his case will be thrown out of court," Avenatti said in an email on Thursday.
more
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/paraplegic-sues-michael-avenatti-for-siphoning-away-dollar4-million-settlement/ar-AACPNSl?ocid=spartandhp
