The woman who accused Michael Avenatti of domestic abuse says he dragged her and left her with red marks and that it’s not the first time he had gotten aggressive with her, according to court documents
Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels and one of President Donald Trump's chief antagonists, was arrested last week on suspicion of felony domestic abuse. Officers in West Los Angeles detained him Wednesday while taking an incident report. He was booked but released on $50,000 bond.
Actress Mareli Miniutti, who filed for a temporary restraining order against Avenatti on Monday, said she’s been living with him since January. She said she and Avenatti got in an argument over money on the evening of Nov. 13 and the lawyer became verbally abusive, calling her an "ungrateful f****** b****."
Miniutti said she retreated to the apartment's guest bedroom, but Avenatti eventually followed her and got "very close to me in a threatening manner that made me feel afraid." He started hitting her with pillows and told her "Do not disrespect me. You don't get to sleep in my house tonight."
He then grabbed her right wrist and attempted to pull her out of the bed, she said. When she started to text a friend, Avenatti grabbed her cell phone, Miniutti said.
Once he was successful in pulling her out of bed, he dragged her through the apartment and into the hallway, she said. But he pulled Miniutti back inside when she started ringing a neighbor’s doorbell.
The actress said she was wearing underwear and a t-shirt during the altercation and was scratched in the process. Photos she submitted with her request show red marks on her skin.
Once she pulled on pants and got out of the apartment, Miniutti wrote that Avenatti followed her, saying, “Don’t do this ... don’t involve them.”