Former attorney Michael Avenatti claims he was mistreated while in federal custody.
According to CBS News, Avenatti made the claim in a filing with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). He is “seeking $94 million from the United States, or $1 million for each day he says he was held in solitary confinement or lockdown,” as the outlet reports.
The report continues, “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.”
In the claim, Avenatti alleges he had limited contact with other inmates, friends, and family. The former attorney also claims he was only given access to Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” in response to his criticism of the former president.
A spokesman for the BOP told CBS News it “does not comment on pending litigation or matters subject to legal proceedings” and “for privacy, safety, and security reasons we do not provide information about the conditions of confinement for any particular inmate, to include housing quarters.”
Avenatti became known for his representation for Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Trump.
In July, Avenatti was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for attempting to extort as much as $25 million from Nike.
“Every father wants their children to be proud of them. I want mine to be ashamed. Because if they are ashamed, it means their moral compass is exactly where it should be,” he said in a statement.
Avenatti told Politico in December, “If I start thinking about the relationships I had that I no longer have, the opportunities I had that I no longer have, the freedom I had that I no longer have, the wealth and things I used to have that I no longer have, the notoriety and the adoration I used to have that I no longer have — I mean, it’ll destroy me.”
He added, “I have to push it out of my mind, because it’s been such a gargantuan fall.”
