Los Angeles prosecutors declined to charge Michael Avenatti with a felony, stemming from his arrest last week on a domestic violence accusation, officials said Wednesday.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office bumped Avenatti’s case down to the L.A. City Attorney’s Office, a separate Southern California prosecution agency that presses misdemeanor cases.
Mareli Miniutti, who received a temporary restraining order against Avenatti, claimed that he roughed her up by grabbing her wrist and throwing her out of his apartment.
“A case presented today by Los Angeles police involving attorney Michael Avenatti has been referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for misdemeanor filing consideration,” the LA County DA’s office said in a statement.
A rep for the L.A. City Attorney's Office said there's no timeline for making a decision on Avenatti's potential misdemeanor case.
“We will review the case and we will not have any further comment,” said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer.
Avenatti, the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels in her case against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic abuse last week at his apartment in West Los Angeles.
Miniutti said she'd been living with Avenatti since January and last week they got into an argument over money. That dispute led to a tussle, she said, with Avenatti allegedly calling her an "ungrateful f****** b****."
The incident left red marks on her skin, Miniutti claimed.
Avenatti said he was happy with the DA's decision.
“I am grateful that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has rejected filing any charges against me after a fair, careful and thorough investigation,” he said in a statement. “I have maintained my innocence since the moment of my arrest.”
After Avenatti's arrest, Daniels said if the accusations against him "prove true," she'd replace him. A rep for the adult film actress could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday.
