The much anticipated courtroom showdown between Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti saw the porn star fire off at least one deadpan barb at her former attorney.
Avenatti, who is representing himself at his fraud trial before the South District of New York, resumed his cross-examination of Ms Daniels on Friday after a ten-minute stint on Thursday afternoon.
He is accused of pocketing approximately $300,000 of Ms Daniels’ money from a book deal for her autobiography and is charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Avenatti has denied all wrongdoing.
On Friday morning, he asked Ms Daniels whether under the terms of a specific clause in their contract he would be “entitled to a reasonable percentage” of the book deal
Ms Daniels shot back in a deadpan tone: “You’re very entitled, yes,” to a ripple of laughter from the courtroom.
Throughout Friday morning, the range of topics covered by the cross-examination was predictably broad given Ms Daniels profession, the circumstances around her rise to fame — professing to have slept with Donald Trump before he entered the White House — and her once close relationship with Avenatti, whom she trusted unquestioningly for some time.
Early on in the proceedings, the defendant asked Ms Daniels if she remembered saying that there would be a long line of people to rape him in prison, adding that she has also said it was handy that she had her own line of lube and could bring him a gift basket.
Ms Daniels confirmed she had said these things on Twitter, as she had confirmed to the prosecution in previous testimony, adding then that she did not want to actually happen to him and had said so because she felt “violated” at the time.
Avenatti persisted, asking Ms Daniels about the meaning of the phrase “drop the soap” reminding her that on a podcast she said she hoped he dropped something “over and over and over”.
She agrees she did.
Questioning then turned to her paranormal series “Spooky Babes” and ran through various paranormal experiences Ms Daniels has claimed including poltergeist phenomena and unexplainable voices.
Avenatti then asked about “Susan”, the paranormal doll, whom Ms Daniels claimed she heard call her “Mommy”; tarot or oracle card readings, and her belief that she is a medium who can communicate with the dead.
Asked how she speaks with the dead Ms Daniels says that it “just happens sometimes” and that she is sometimes able to have conversation with them.
Testimony then turned to matters more pertinent to the charges in the case before a morning recess was called.
The trial continues.
