A restraining order has been filed against Michael Avenatti after he was arrested last week on domestic violence charges for allegedly leaving a woman’s face “swollen and bruised.” It was initially speculated that Avenatti’s ex-wife had been the one responsible for his arrest, but she quickly dismissed those rumors. With this restraining order, we know the woman alleging abuse is another public figure, actress Mareli Miniutti.
According to the Daily Wire: “Court records obtained by The Blast showed that Actress Mareli Miniutti filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Avenatti Monday in Los Angeles.”
Actress Mareli Miniutti, the woman accusing attorney Michael Avenatti of domestic violence, has filed for a restraining order against him in Los Angeles Superior Court, records show: https://t.co/hfwtLp4uaB pic.twitter.com/NtXFMAU73v
— Tom Cleary (@tomwcleary) November 20, 2018
While many conservative pundits poked fun at the news, it wasn’t because of the specifics of the allegations, but rather because the irony of Avenatti being the one accused just weeks after he adopted a motto of “believe all accusers” in attempting to discredit Brett Kavanaugh. While everyone deserves due process and the benefit of the doubt in the face of such allegations, Michael Avenatti wouldn’t get that luxury in a world designed by Michael Avenatti.
Avenatti initially blamed right-wing internet troll Jacob Wohl for his arrest, and began making threatening posts about a forthcoming lawsuit.
However, this restraining order dispells (or at least makes it extremely unlikely) the notion that Wohl was behind Avenatti’s arrest.
Who is Mareli Miniutti?
Miniutti is an actress that’s appeared in a number of films, including Ocean’s 8, Crypto (starring Kurt Russell), and How to Be Single. Little is known about Miniutti, and her internet presence is limited. She has an Instagram account with around 9,000 followers, which she’s since made private.
It’s still unclear if she’s the one responsible for the initial domestic abuse charges against Avenatti, we only know that she filed the subsequent restraining order five days after that incident. Avenatti reiterated his innocence, claiming Tuesday morning that there is “powerful” video evidence exonerating him. I’m unsure what that means – is he going to release random video footage of him not abusing women?
Stormy Daniels says she’ll fire Avenatti as her attorney if the allegations against him are true.
Given that thus far Avenatti has not only lost her case, and will have to pay Trump’s legal bills, it’s unclear why she hasn’t fired him already.
