Michael Avenatti Sues U.S. For $94 Million For ‘Abuse’ In Jail, Forced To Read ‘Art Of The Deal’

Michael Avenatti, known for representing adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against former President Donald Trump, is seeking $94 million from the United States over mistreatment during his time at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan in 2020.

During that time, Avenatti was awaiting his sentencing in an extortion case.

Avenatti alleges that his treatment stemmed from being a public opponent of Trump and former Attorney General William Barr and that under the Federal Tort Claims Act, he deserves to be compensated for the emotional and mental distress, degradation and false imprisonment.

He claimed that he was jailed with terrorists and a former CIA agent who was accused of treason in an area segmented off for those who are a threat to national security. Avenatti said that he had not been convicted of a crime and did not have a history of violence, so there was no reason for him to be confined there. He added that he was subjected to “frigid” temperatures and was only able to see the sun one time during his 94-day stay. He also mentioned that he was allowed one book while he was there, The Art of the Deal, co-written by Trump.

“This is about wrenching open a dark chapter in American history, where they used the prison management system to torture this guy for six weeks because he hurt the feelings of a corrupt president,” Avenatti’s attorney Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma told CBS News. “$94 million would make him feel better, but it’s really about — the federal courts will not let prisons stonewall about how this decision was made, and we’ll get information in discovery which I strongly anticipate will show it was made at the highest levels of Washington and it was completely political.”

Avenatti has been charged with numerous counts relating to embezzlement and extortion in New York and California. So far, he has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for trying to extort $30 million from Nike.