Porn star Stormy Daniels says her lawyer Michael Avenatti sued President Donald Trump for defamation against her wishes, according to reports.
In a statement provided to the Daily Beast and the Washington Post, Daniels said Avenatti had “spoken on my behalf without my approval.”
She also said Avenatti refused to share accounting information about her legal defence fund, and launched a new crowdfunding campaign using her image without her permission.
“I’m tremendously grateful to him for aggressively representing me in my fight to regain my voice,” Daniels said. “But in other ways Michael has not treated me with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client.”
She added that she was considering getting a different lawyer.
READ MORE: Michael Avenatti says he doesn’t see many Democrats who could beat Trump in 2020
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The defamation suit against Trump was dismissed by a federal judge in October, with Avenatti saying he would appeal the ruling.
The 47-year-old is also representing Daniels in a lawsuit to void a non-disclosure agreement that barred Daniels from talking about her alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
WATCH: Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti still weighing presidency if Trump runs in 2020
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Avenatti, whose representation of Daniels has catapulted him into the public spotlight as a potential White House candidate for 2020, denied Daniels’ accusations.
In a statement, Avenatti said he is Daniels’ “biggest champion” and that he had always been an “open book” with her on all aspects of her cases.
He said funds raised for his legal costs were instead put towards her security expenses.
READ MORE: L.A. prosecutors decline to file domestic abuse charges against Michael Avenatti
Daniels’ statement compounds a difficult month for Avenatti, who was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of domestic violence.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue domestic abuse charges against him, instead referring the case to a city attorney for lesser charges.
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