YouSaid · the spoken record

Michael Avenatti

lines on the record: 105
first: 2018-04-30
most recent: 2018-04-30
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I mean, you know, ultimately that was dismissed. And, you know, look, I mean, here's the issue. Anybody that has lived a life and has operated at a high level is going to have issues and there's going to be disputes along the way and there's going to be acrimony. You know, I think it was Jack Welch that said, behold the monkey. The higher he climbs in the tree, the more his ass is exposed, right?”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“All right, well, I'll never forget this because when I got done with it, he called me, he said. He looked at the defense and he said, do you mind if I have Mr. Avinati approach the bench by himself? And they said no. And I walked up to the bench. And he said, let me tell you something. I've been doing this over 35 years, criminal and civil, and I've never seen a better fucking courtroom stunt than that in my entire life. So I liked it.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In her presentation, I'll never forget that. And I mean, she just crushed us the first day. They put her up and she just killed us, absolutely killed us. And I was licking my wims that night early the next morning thinking, you know, what are we going to do with this woman? So the next day in trial, I took out my cell phone in open court. I basically challenged her by claiming these companies were out of business and we called the companies and they actually picked up each one of them. All three of them picked up in open court. The judge allowed me to get away with it. And, you know, it was a little dicey because there's some judges that would hold you immediately in contempt and have to, you know, have the deputy.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I am. So we were in the middle of that trial and our claim was that basically that our clients, these three guys, had bought this company and got in the door and found out it was a bucket of rocks and there was all this fraud. And lo and behold, KPMG said, well, the company would have gone out of business anyways because the three competitors had gone out of business. And so they had an expert take the stand one day in the middle of trial who reminded me quite a bit of Tina Fay, actually.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's right. So in 2007, I left Green Broilet and Wheeler and we formed our own firm, which is something I'd always wanted to do. And I'd had a lot of success at Greenbroilette. And again, Bruce Broilette also served as a tremendous mentor to me. He's a tremendous trial lawyer. I was really blessed by having Petrucelli and Broilette both teach me quite a bit. And so I took some of my bonuses from some of those cases and we formed a firm in 2007, which at the time was Egan O'Malley and Avinati and now is Egan Avanani.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“They were the auditors and they had failed to find it, and that was a pretty spirited case. We took over 125 days of depositions all over the world in connection with that case. And, you know, ultimately that case resolved favorably.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Filed a case that we ultimately ended up taking a trial in New Jersey on behalf of some clients that had lost a lot of money on a business transaction they had done. They bought a targeting. Well, yeah, there was a couple ones. That was Castart, but Targus, the CFO, had embezzled $41 million on KPMG's watch.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No admissions, but that's not unusual in connection with a settlement. I can't really get into the details of the settlement.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, yeah. But maybe I was waiting my turn for this turn at the wheel. But I recall, though, that at one point during the deposition in that case, that he was asked. About a PowerPoint presentation, and the question was about a PowerPoint, and he asked for a clarifying, he asked a clarifying question, namely, what's a PowerPoint? He didn't know what PowerPoint was. I do remember that.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Correct. I recall that he was deposed in that case, and I also recall that at one point during the deposit, I did not take the deposition, unfortunately. That would have been great. Good”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, I promise you I won't file this. But no, this guy legitimately came up with the idea of the apprentice and pitched it to one of Mark Burnett's right-hand guys. And we allege that they took it. And Trump was actually deposed in connection with CE.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Who claim that he had the original idea, and he actually had the original idea, you know, most people, a lot of people in LA come up with the idea of Star Wars years later. Everybody goes out of the woodwork and thinks, in fact, someday someone's going to claim that they had the idea of your podcast here, just so you know. Yes, I'm sure. Yeah, I'll be.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, so we represented a woman by the name of Zetagraf who got in this dispute with Paris Hilton, and Paris Hilton had claimed that Paris had defamed her. And so I had occasion to work on that case. And we resolved that case amicably, ultimately, on the EVA trial. So that was one of the cases. And then, of course, another case that I worked on was related to the apprentice. Relating to the apprentice. And we represented a guy who...”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I did. I didn't want to work on the defense side the rest of my life. I knew I always wanted to be on the plaintiff side. And I had a friend of mine who was an attorney who had worked with a guy by name at Bruce Broilt at Greenbroilette and Wheeler out of Santa Monica on a case. And he was singing my praises to Bruce, and I was trying to get into the firm. And, you know, the clock was moving rather slowly. And so I found out that Bruce was going to be hosting a cocktail reception, an annual cocktail reception in Vegas for plaintiff's attorneys in the Los Angeles area. And so I decided to drive out to Vegas and buttonhole Bruce at this cocktail reception. And lo and behold, I found him and talked to him and convinced him that night to allow me to come in the interview.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But not with him. But not with him. They left him behind, and there was a huge piece of litigation. So I ended up working closely with Irving Azoff, their manager and Don Henley and Glenn Fry and the Eagles in connection with that case and also worked on a number of other celebrity type cases closely with Dan.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, there was a big lawsuit brought by Don Felder, one of the band members who had been kicked out of the band in connection with the Hell Freezes over Tor because the Eagles had disbanded and they said they were never going to get back together. They wouldn't get back together until Hell Freeze is over and they got back together and they went out on the tour.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Correct. Dan had just left his other firm and he'd come to a Melvany kind of as the trial guy. And served as a great mentor to me, one of the smartest lawyers I've ever met in my life, no question, and very, very talented from Brooklyn, as I recall, initially, originally. And I learned a lot from him on a lot of aspects on how to conduct yourself as a trial attorney.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, it's a white shoe firm. It's multinational with, I don't know how many thousands of lawyers they have now, but offices all over the world. And I went there initially. It was a good experience, poured a good foundation there.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's right. I decided that I wanted to take one bar exam and one bar exam only, and I wanted to take a bar exam in a state with a huge legal community and a lot of business with California being as big as it is and with me having family from my father's side in Los Angeles. I thought that'd be a good move.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I took George Washington University as a great trial ad program, and I had participated in that, and I really enjoyed that and had excelled in it, David, I can't speak enough about George Washington University and some of the professors that I had, you know, Professor Robinson, Professor Turley. I mean, it was just a great fit. You know, all the tumblers fell into place for me at that law school. I don't know that it would have been true somewhere else, but it was a great experience for me, far better than college. And I excelled there because it felt like home for me. And it was a tremendous like.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I don't know that I'm sympathetic to that. I mean, here's the problem. The problem from my perspective is that the process in general I have a problem with. Now, the fact that it happened to swoop in or apply to the president or certain of his associates, that's not political, though. That's just part of the process. And the process is fundamentally flawed, in my view.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Kosher, if you will. So I think the FISA court and how that is set up. Is of significant concern. I mean, I understand the competing balance that's necessary, competing interests that's necessary in order to balance it out. I mean, obviously, we're talking about huge issues of national security that can result in people, thousands of people losing their lives. But I think the pendulum needs to swing back a little bit.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I've got a considerable problem, David, with the whole concept of these FISA warrants. I mean, I had a considerable problem with it back in the mid 90s when I started looking at this. I mean, it runs counter in my view to some fundamental constitutional principles that this country is founded on. And so, you know, I don't like how secretive the process is. At the time in the mid-90s, when I started working on this, I think there was only one instance in the history of the FISA court where they had even questioned basically one of the warrants, let alone denied one. At that time, not a single FISA warrant request, not one had been denied. There had been, as I recall, one or two instances, I think it was one, where they had asked for some more information before they would issue the FISA warrant out of thousands of requests. And that struck me as not being.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, and this was before FISA was FISA, if you will. I mean, now FISA gets a lot of play. A lot of people talk about FISA. But back then, not a lot of people were talking about FISA. I mean, it was at all. But I spent a lot of time actually working with Professor Trilli on some constitutional issues relating to some FISA warrants that had been executed.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's correct. I did that for, I think, about the first year or year and a half, as I recall. And then I went and I clerked as a law clerk at two law firms, Anderson Kill and Oleck, and one year and then King and Spaulding, which is Atlanta-based firm that had offices right across from the old executive office building. So I worked as a law clerk there for a while.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Because Yeah, I mean, you can lose an election or worse in connection with that. I mean, let's remember, I mean, probably the birth of opposition research as an entity, of course, is founded in the 1988 presidential election involving Michael DeCakis and a convict by the name of Willie Horton.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But what happened ultimately was, I mean, Rom left and he went to work his Clinton's finance director. And then his group kind of splintered off into a whole host of other smaller entities. And I went and worked with... I worked with Mike Plant for a while. Yes, yeah, I know all these guys. And then Joe Senzheimer. And I did most of my work with Joe down in North Carolina.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I think the last, I was trying to think, I did a lot of work down in Louisiana in connection with a bunch of statewide races. You know, ultimately what happened, of course, was...”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah. No, there's no doubt. And you always have to, if you're going to be good at doing that, you need to understand how that piece of information will ultimately translate into a media strategy. Because there's a lot of things you could find or discover that might be salacious or might be interesting. But if it doesn't translate or it can't be used in connection with a media strategy, it's worthless. And so I think that's probably one of the big takeaways that I learned in connection with that.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So there were certainly, I mean, I worked on some pretty big campaigns, mostly winners, but some losers. I mean, I remember working on Lenya's. You're the woman campaign against Harlan Spector right after the confirmation hearing. For Clarence Thomas. And so a lot of the issues, you know, it's interesting because history repeats itself, but a lot of the issues that surrounded that year of the woman campaign cycle are a lot of the issues that now are arising recent in recent history. A lot of the same issues, a lot of the same themes. But it was a good experience. I mean, what did I learn? I mean, I learned a lot about campaigns. I learned a lot about messaging. I learned a lot about media strategy. I learned a lot about issues.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, there were a number of campaigns where it made a big difference. And I've been trying to think back to so long ago. When I left that world, I really kind of left it behind because I was pretty burnt out over it ultimately. I mean, over 150 campaigns, two states long.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, because, I mean, I always decided to go to St. Louis University initially because of just a financial issue because of the downsizing of my father. I mean, you know, we just couldn't afford it And ultimately, I put myself through my last two years of college at Pinn.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and went out to the University of Pennsylvania and had a good time out there, not a great time, but a good time. I mean, certainly good school.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, 100%. You were doing research. You and I conversed a couple times on a few campaigns. You don't remember it. I remember it vaguely, but I mean, it was, you know, it was a long time ago. Did I have the foresight?”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We either sleuth him records or I fooled him. I don't know, one of the two. Know, I ultimately went on to work with them or others on over 150 campaigns in 42 states. Traveled around did that for a long time.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, to collect records and work with them, et cetera. And so I was assigned to work with them in connection with the work they were doing. Through that, you know, I came to know them and they then asked if I would assist them on some other campaigns they had. So I ended up assisting on. So you must have been.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And Tom are went through. Through Buzz Westfall, I'm trying to remember exactly how I hooked up with them, and it's escaping me as I'm thinking about it right now. And then ultimately I came to know where I'm Emanuel because Rom's group came in to do some opposition research on behalf of Buzz Westfall and did some work on behalf of Gephardt.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It was after high school, the first two years I attended St. Louis University in St. Louis. And Joyce Abusie gave me my first political job doing some work for Gephardt.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, it was just, you know, they just downsized the position. I mean, it's just a typical corporate cutback. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Americans go through that year in and year out. So it really gave me a lot of perspective on life. And I've never lost track of that.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's correct. It was right before I was supposed to go to college and it was completely unplanned. And it was devastating for him because his entire life had been, you know, Anheuser-Busch and the guy worked his ass off. And what was the reason?”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“He's devastated. I mean, I'll never forget it. I'll never forget that day. It was a very, very difficult day. And it took him a long time.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Exactly. That's exactly right. You're absolutely right. I did not want to give someone else that amount of power. I saw the sacrifice that my dad had made over 31 years, moved his family countless times.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, yeah, he actually, you know, to be clear, I mean, he was forced out of the company in a very unceremonious situation after 31 years of the company. And, you know, David, that had a tremendous impact on our family. It wasn't planned. I'll never forget the day as long as I live. It was 1989. And it had a huge impact on my parents and on me and our family. And I think that, you know, it really kind of set the tone for me relating to a lot of things that I was going to do in my professional career and things that I was not going to do in my professional career. You know, I decided at that point I was never going to be a company man and I was never going to put my faith.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I had a half brother and half sister. But, you know, I think I probably learned during those formative years, you know, not to let anybody take my lunch money. And that's kind of carried on into my professional career. I think that's probably where it comes from.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Know, I don't think that I've always been that way. You know, I think that I learned probably in my adolescent years to beat to my own drum. I mean, I wasn't terribly popular in high school. I wasn't terribly unpopular in high school. Do you have siblings?”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I remember it because she was about probably late 20s, early 30s, this beautiful model. I think she was from Cincinnati. So she runs into me in the lobby and she invites me to the game to go to the game, right? So I say, yeah, sure, absolutely. I'll go to the game. So I end up going with her to the game. We sit behind the dugout during the game. And ultimately, she gets me in the locker room after the game. And so I struck up this friendship with her that lasted about a year and a half. And every time they would come to town, I would go to the games and hang out with her and get to go to the locker room with Pete Rose, which was pretty cool when you're 12, 13 years of age.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's correct I did. I actually have a very funny story about Pete Rose, if you want to hear it. Pete Rose comes to town. And I'm down in the lobby hotel, and I'm in the morning, and I'm in the coffee shop or the restaurant of the hotel. And I'm 12 years of age at this point. And I'm sitting there having something to eat. And Pete walks in with this very attractive woman. He sits down. And at some point I get up and I walk over to the table and I introduce myself and I ask him for an autograph. And he's kind enough. He gives me an autograph. The woman that he's with is very nice to me and talks with me a little bit. And that was that. And so later on in the day, I see her again in the lobby of the hotel and she walks over to me. And I think at the time she was about 30, her name was Susan. I forget her last name. She was about 30 years ago. You remember that?”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Exactly. Exactly. I would spend my days in the lobby, the hotel, with a baseball trying to get guys like Mike Schmidt and... And Sammy Sosa and other players.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I did. We moved there in 1982. And the house that my parents purchased was not done being completed yet. So we shacked up in the Marriott Hotel across from the old Bush Stadium in downtown. And we moved there in August. And it was the heat of the pennant race that year in 1982. And so we would stay at that hotel, and all the Vizying teams would come in, and I would spend my days.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“My mother grew up in Dallas, Texas, actually, and attended SMU for a few years. And in fact, the day that the president was shot in Dallas, my mother, my grandmother on my mother's side had a beauty salon that was about two blocks from Deley Plaza.”
2018-04-30 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 238 - Michael Avenatti · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source