SCOTUS Rejects Michael Avenatti's Extortion Conviction Appeal
The Facts
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal of lawyer Michael Avenatti's conviction for plotting to extort Nike for up to $25M, leaving his conviction and sentence in place.
The lawyer was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison on three extortion counts dating back to a 2019 case in which he represented a youth basketball coach who claimed that Nike made illegal payments to high school athletes.
The Spin
Narrative A
Michael Avenatti is a serial convicted white-collar criminal, and now multiple federal courts have affirmed that he's guilty of trying to extort Nike for $25M. It's quite clear that he plotted to blackmail Nike by threatening to publicly divulge allegations of unlawful payments to amateur athletes. His weak arguments have been rejected, and he will now pay the time.
Narrative B
While Michael Avenatti is far from a model citizen — and was a major celebrity figure in cases against Donald Trump and Bret Kavanaugh — he could be a linchpin in exposing a corrupt and exploitative system that preys on young athletes. Even if Avenatti was solely motivated by milking Nike for some benefits, his claims against the company still have merit.