Michael Avenatti cross-examines Stormy Daniels about paranormal claims: 'How do you speak with the dead?'
Michael Avenatti's trial just took a spooky turn.
Avenatti, the former lawyer of porn star Stormy Daniels, is on trial for alleged fraud, and he's representing himself in the case. On Friday, he cross-examined his former client, Daniels — and questioned her claims that she's able to communicate with dead people.
"How do you speak with the dead?" Avenatti asked Daniels, who responded, "I don't know. It just happens sometimes," The New York Times reports.
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During the cross-examination, Daniels reportedly confirmed that a medium told her a "dark entity" entered her home via a "portal," and she told the court that she has spoken with a haunted doll named Susan on a show called Spooky Babes, CNN reports. She also said that she believes she heard this doll say "Mommy, Mommy" and also once encountered the spirit of a woman "sobbing and cutting her wrists in an attempt to kill herself," according to The New York Post.
Avenatti has been accused of stealing book deal money from Daniels, whom he represented in a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. Daniels alleged she had an affair with Trump; he denied her allegations. Avenatti was previously found guilty of trying to extort Nike in a separate case.
Daniels testified against Avenatti in the trial on Thursday, per CNN, telling the court, "He lied to me and betrayed me and broke my trust, and I thought he was my friend."
