Michael Avenatti not ‘as high profile as he once was,’ NYC federal judge writes

NEW YORK — Michael Avenatti is not “quite as high profile as he once was,” a Manhattan federal judge wrote Thursday, denying the disgraced lawyer’s bid to restrict press access to jury selection at his upcoming trial.

Judge Jesse Furman wrote that there was no evidence that media coverage of jury selection during Avenatti’s earlier trial for attempting to extort Nike out of more than $20 million affected the guilty verdict.

Judge Paul Gardephe presided over the Nike trial, which concluded in February 2020.

Furman will oversee Avenatti’s trial for allegedly swindling the client who made him famous, porn star Stormy Daniels, out of nearly $300,000 for a book deal.

“If anything, the case for allowing press access at a trial in this case in January 2022 will be much stronger than it was in the trial before Judge Gardephe in early 2020,” Furman wrote.

“The fact that Donald J. Trump, the Defendant’s erstwhile nemesis, is no longer President of the United States; and the Defendant’s other legal troubles (including but not limited to his conviction before Judge Gardephe), the Defendant is not quite as high profile as he once was.”

The New York Daily News filed a letter in Manhattan Federal Court opposing Avenatti’s effort to block reporters from listening to questioning of potential jurors. The process often reveals jurors’ opinions on the accused, politics and other high-profile topics related to the case.

One prospective juror on Avenatti’s Nike trial called him “a notorious scumbag.” That juror was dismissed from the case.

Avenatti has yet to be sentenced for the Nike scheme due to the coronavirus pandemic. The once high-flying lawyer is also accused in Los Angeles of screwing over clients, lying in bankruptcy proceedings, failure to pay taxes and other financial crimes.

Avenatti rocketed to fame through frequent appearances on cable news attacking former President Trump. He sued Trump over a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies he had an affair with the porn star.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/michael-avenatti-not-high-profile-013400497.html

Armie Hammer resurfaces in the Cayman Islands after March rape allegation

It's not the kind of spot you go if you don't want to be seen, according to the restaurant, which describes the venue as "the place to be." There's even a web cam focused on the tables at all times.

Hammer now has a crew cut and has shaved his facial hair.

In March, a 24-year-old woman claimed that she was "violently raped" by Hammer in 2017. She claimed they met on Facebook and, between 2016 and 2020, had a relationship — while he was married to Elizabeth Chambers — that was both violent and abusive. She said, "I thought he was going to kill me."

Hammer's attorney said the star "maintained that all of his interactions with [his accuser] — and every other sexual partner of his for that matter — have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory." The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Hammer has been the suspect in an ongoing sexual assault investigation since Feb. 3.

Hammer has been in the headlines since January, when screenshots of graphic Instagram DMs he allegedly sent various women between 2016 and 2020 first surfaced.The messages described sexual fantasies including violence, rape and cannibalism.

more

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/armie-hammer-resurfaces-in-the-cayman-islands-after-march-rape-allegation-183053111.html