The attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels threatened to sue another reporter weeks before he threatened to sue Daily Caller reporters on Monday for writing a negative story about him.
Law&Crime reporter Colin Kalmbacher wrote an article late last month headlined "One Thing Is Clear From Michael Cohen's Hearing ... No One Likes Michael Avenatti," after prosecutors pushed back against Avenatti's attempt to file a motion to intervene in the government's case against Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney.
"After the publication of our April 26 article that Avenatti deemed 'unfair' and 'complete bullshit,' Avenatti threatened to sue our reporter, Colin Kalmbacher, personally and then our publication—and then whoever 'edited' the article as well," Law& Crime editor in chief Rachel Stockman revealed on Wednesday.
"In a phone call the day after the article was published, Avenatti also told me if we didn't make the changes he requested, he would also verbally bash our reporter on [ABC's] 'The View' and make him look like a legal idiot and 'buffoon,'" Stockman added.
In the end, Law&Crime changed the story's headline slightly to "One Thing Is Clear From Michael Cohen's Hearing ... No One Wanted Michael Avenatti There" and added some quotes from the judge, but stood by the article. Avenatti then went on to Twitter to insult Kalmbacher.
Will one of the networks please have me on with @colinkalmbacher so I can show the nation that a) he has no idea what he is talking about; b) he has basically ZERO real-world legal experience; and c) he fabricates "facts" relating to this case to fit his agenda? #legalbuffoonery
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 27, 2018
Law&Crime's revelation came after reporters at the Daily Caller revealed that Avenatti threatened to sue them personally for "defamation," without saying what was factually incorrect about their article. A reporter for the Hollywood Reporter also revealed two days later that Avenatti cursed him out and demanded to speak to his editor after learning that he might be writing an unflattering story.