Porn star Stormy Daniels alleged Wednesday that Michael Avenatti sued President Donald Trump on her behalf without getting her approval _ and suggested she may dump the high-profile attorney over the misstep.
Daniels, who has faced pressure to fire Avenatti amid allegations he recently abused his girlfriend, also claimed the telegenic lawyer has kept her in the dark about how he's spending money raised via her legal defense fund and said he recently launched a second fundraiser without telling her.
"I'm tremendously grateful to him for aggressively representing me in my fight to regain my voice," Daniels said in a statement first reported by the Daily Beast. "But in other ways Michael has not treated me with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client. He has spoken on my behalf without my approval. He filed a defamation case against Donald Trump against my wishes. He repeatedly refused to tell me how my legal defense fund was being spent."
As it relates to her legal representation, Daniels said she hasn't "decided yet" whether she will keep retaining Avenatti.
Avenatti would neither confirm nor deny Daniels' allegations but said he has always maintained a "high level of communication" with her.
"I communicate with her all the time, via text, email, a whole host of communication," Avenatti told the New York Daily News.
Pressed on whether he did in fact file the failed defamation suit against Trump without Daniels' approval, Avenatti claimed his prior statement "speaks for itself."
