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Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a $94 million lawsuit alleging that he was held in “brutal conditions” while in jail, including a claim that he was only given a copy of Trump’s memoir “Art of the Deal” for reading material. He also complained of “frigid temperatures,” and said he only saw the sun one time.
Claiming he was held 94 days in solitary confinement or lockdown inside drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s former jail cell, Avenatti is asking for a million dollars for each day.
“Avenatti is seeking $94 million from the United States, or $1 million for each day he says he was held in solitary confinement or lockdown,” CBS News reported. “He alleges under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) that the federal government is liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and false arrest, among other acts, while he was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan in 2020.”
Not only is he claiming abuse, but Avenatti also alleged in a new filing with the Federal Bureau of Prisons that former Attorney General William Barr ordered the poor treatment as retaliation for his criticisms of Barr and former President Donald Trump.
“He was housed alongside four accused terrorists and a former CIA employee accused of treason; the United States Attorney General had directed these individuals to be held in 10 South under ‘special administrative measures,’ typically reserved for people who pose threats to national security,” the claim states, according to Law and Crime. “There was no plausible security reason for housing [Avenatti] in 10 South. He had never been convicted of any crime, had no history of violence and was not informed of any threat made against him by other inmates. Rather, [Avenatti]’s confinement to 10 South was retaliation for [Avenatti]’s criticism of President Trump and other federal government employees, including the Attorney General.”
Keep in mind that Avenatti has been serving his sentence in home confinement in Venice, California since April 2020, when a federal judge granted his request to be released from prison due to COVID-19 risks.
The fact that he is set to return to the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Feb. 1 may factor into his decision to allege abuse.
Avenatti was sentenced to 30 months behind bars in July 2020 for attempting to extort NIKE, Inc., and for defrauding a client after being found guilty on February 14, 2020, following a three-week jury trial. The sentence was well below the minimum nine-year sentence suggested by federal guidelines.
“I alone have destroyed my career, my relationships and my life. And there is no doubt I need to pay,” Avenatti tearfully told the judge at his sentencing hearing. “I am truly sorry for all of the pain I caused to [my former client] and others.”
The disgraced attorney claims “the federal government is liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and false arrest, among other acts, while he was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in 2020,” CBS News reported.
“A federal district court judge has found that I was held under terrible conditions and that it was hard to believe it occurred in the United States of America,” Avenatti said in a statement to Law and Crime. “I agree and I look forward to holding Trump and Barr accountable for what they did to me in the interest of politics and revenge.”
Suffice it to say, aside from the TDS crowd, social media users weren’t impressed — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
I’m being flippant. If that’s what actually happened, that’s awful. Feeling sorry for Avenatti is complicated.
— You don’t know me (@NicolaIsNotABot) January 13, 2022
Wait, they don’t let them have real toilet paper in jail?
— Tony Colletti (@TonyC_007) January 13, 2022
It just never ends, does it
Only in America.
— PattyCakes-VOTE BLUE (@PattyCa18904386) January 14, 2022
Well, he’s never lied about anything before so why shouldn’t we believe him?
— Mr. Fungi (@Mister_Fun_Guy) January 13, 2022
I should be upset for him, right? Well, nah.
It’s poetic justice. ‘Nothing to read except Trump’s The Art of The Deal.’
That’s sweet, sweet, comedic karma right there ladies and gentlemen.
— ✨ ✨ Novaxx Djokecovid (@Frankie_Tweetz) January 14, 2022
For god sakes, Avenatti! It’s prison!
— Meta M. Stephens (@MetaMStephens) January 13, 2022
That’s hilarious. The Art Of The Deal.
— Ramenator1 (from the BEGINNING OF THE WORLD) (@Ramenator1) January 14, 2022
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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