Stormy Daniels Says She'll Dump Michael Avenatti if Domestic Violence Allegations 'Prove True'

Stormy Daniels broke her silence amid the arrest of her lawyer Michael Avenatti on a felony charge of suspected domestic violence Wednesday, saying she'd drop him as her attorney if the allegation proved true.

Avenatti initially garnered media attention after Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, hired him to represent her in a lawsuit against President Donald Trump in which she claimed the nondisclosure agreement she'd signed with Trump to keep quiet about their past sexual encounter was invalid because he'd never signed it. Daniels's separate libel suit against the president was dismissed in October.

Los Angeles police arrested Avenatti on Wednesday on a felony domestic violence charge after an apparent incident the day before.

"These are serious and obviously very troubling allegations, but right now that is all they are: allegations," Daniels, 39, said in a statement via New York Magazine. "We should all reserve judgment until the investigation—an investigation Michael has said he welcomes—is complete, and that's what I'm going to do.

"But of course I do not condone violence against women, and if these allegations prove true I will be seeking new representation."

Avenatti's arrest was first reported by TMZ, which wrongly stated that one of Avenatti's former wives, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, had filed the complaint against him. Sources had apparently informed TMZ that Avenatti had been arrested after a woman, who reportedly had a "swollen and bruised" face with "red marks," filed a domestic violence report. But lawyers for Storie-Avenatti denied the TMZ's allegations.

"My client and I have reviewed the TMZ article alleging that my client, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, has been injured and that Michael Avenatti has been arrested as a result of some incident that occurred between them. This article is not true as it pertains to my client," a statement obtained by BuzzFeed News read. "Ms. Storie-Avenatti was not subject to any such incident on Tuesday night. Further, she was not at Mr. Avenatti's apartment on the date that this alleged incident occurred."

Avenatti's first wife, Christine Avenatti-Carlin, also denied that she was the victim of the attack as the allegations surfaced. "Michael has always been a loving kind father to our two daughters and husband. He has never been abusive to me or anyone else. He is a very good man," her statement read, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

While Storie-Avenatti's legal representatives dismissed the claims made in TMZ's story, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that Avenatti had been arrested on a felony domestic violence charge and was released after posting $50,000 bail.

The victim remains unidentified.

"We can confirm that today LAPD Detectives arrested Michael Avenatti on suspicion of domestic violence," the LAPD's Twitter statement read. "This is an ongoing investigation and we will provide more details as they become available."

Avenatti is scheduled to appear in court on December 5. He has denied the allegations against him, and expects to "be fully exonerated."

"I have never struck a woman. I never will strike a woman," he said to reporters on Wednesday. "I have been an advocate for women's rights my entire career and I'm going to continue to be an advocate. I'm not going to be intimidated from stopping what I'm doing."