Avenatti’s Request for New Nike-Extortion Trial Is Denied

  • Judge says jury wasn’t impacted by prosecutors’ conduct
  • Convicted lawyer is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8
Michael Avenatti exits court in New York in 2018.Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Convicted lawyer Michael Avenatti’s request for a new trial was denied as a judge ruled prosecutors’ allegedly improper conduct didn’t impact a jury that found he tried to extort $25 million from Nike Inc.

The ruling ensures that Avenatti, who was found guilty in February 2020 after a three-week trial in Manhattan, will be sentenced this week after a long delay caused by the pandemic.