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Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen.
- Michael Cohen's attorneys are asking a California judge for a restraining order against Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing the adult-film star, Stormy Daniels, who is suing Cohen and President Donald Trump for defamation.
- Cohen's lawyers argue that Avenatti's frequent TV appearances and his interviews with news outlets about the case are doing great damage to Cohen, who is Trump's longtime personal attorney.
- Avenatti has been a fixture on television since he began representing Daniels and has commented extensively on the case in which Daniels is accusing Cohen and Trump of defaming her over a claim that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, an accusation Trump denies.
- In the court document filed Thursday, Cohen's lawyers argue that Avenatti is motivated by a "seemingly unquenchable thirst for publicity" and say his actions could hinder Cohen's chances of getting a fair trial.
Michael Cohen's attorneys want Michael Avenatti to stop talking.
Cohen is a defendant in a defamation case filed by Avenatti on behalf his client, the adult-film star, Stormy Daniels. They're suing Cohen and President Donald Trump over Daniels' claim that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
Since signing on to represent Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, Avenatti has been a fixture on TV, giving interviews on nearly all matters concerning the case.
Cohen's lawyers have told a California judge that Avenatti's media appearances and interviews have become problematic.
In the court document filed Thursday, Cohen's lawyers argue that Avenatti is motivated by a "seemingly unquenchable thirst for publicity" and say his actions could hinder Cohen's chances of getting a fair trial. They argued that Avenatti has appeared on TV to talk about the case at least 121 times since early March.
Avenatti has said the publicity is part of his own legal strategy.
Cohen's attorneys also pointed to remarks made by Judge Kimba Wood, who is presiding over a separate case against Cohen in the Southern District of New York.
When Avenatti was seeking inclusion as an interested party in the SDNY case - in which Cohen is facing federal charges related to his business dealings - Wood criticized Avenatti for talking too much about Cohen. Ultimately, Avenatti's day in court on that matter didn't go as planned, and he withdrew his petition to be included in the case.
Read the Cohen filing in its entirety below:
Cohen Filing 20180614 by Bryan Logan on Scribd