Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti threatens to sue journalists after The Daily Caller publishes unflattering story

(Image credit: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

published 14 May 2018

The lawyer representing adult film star Stormy Daniels has threatened to sue journalists if they do not "stop with the hit pieces," a screenshot of one correspondence shared by The Daily Caller's Peter J. Hasson shows. The warning by attorney Michael Avenatti came after The Daily Caller published an article digging into Avenatti's past, including allegations that he never paid for $160,000 worth of coffee from a supplier while he owned Tully's.

The article also noted Avenatti's preference for high-profile cases like going up against Jim Carrey. "I know this guy; he doesn't care about anybody but himself," one person who worked with Avenatti told The Daily Caller reporters.

The email sent to Hasson by Avenatti has the subject line "Cut it Out" and begins by saying the conversation is "off the record." Hasson notes that "of course [those] aren't terms I agreed to since it was an uninvited email." In the message, Avenatti writes: "If you and your colleagues do not stop with the hit pieces that are full of lies and defamatory statements, I will have no choice but to sue each of you and your publication for defamation." Avenatti adds: "This is the last warning."

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CNN's Ryan Lizza reacted to Avenatti's threat by tweeting that The Daily Caller's article "seems fair and well-reported to me" and added that "this is the sort of intimidation tactic, suggesting a complete contempt for what reporters do, that someone like Michael Cohen would use." The New York Times' Nick Confessore wrote that "the piece in question seems like a reasonably straightforward dig through public records." Read the email below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.