...NEW YORK - A U.S. judge on Wednesday said federal prosecutors may not try to show that Michael Avenatti's heavy debts gave him a motive to extort Nike Inc, giving a victory to the celebrity lawyer as he prepares for his upcoming criminal trial.
...U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan also rejected Avenatti's request to delay the trial following his jailing last week for an alleged bail violation in a California case accusing him of defrauding several clients and lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a bankruptcy court.
...Avenatti is charged with threatening to publicize accusations that Nike illegally paid families of college basketball recruits unless the sportswear company paid him $15 million to $25 million to conduct a probe.
...The judge said such evidence could prejudice jurors, and added that the prospect of collecting millions of dollars from Nike by itself gave Avenatti a "Powerful motive" to try.
...Gardephe disagreed, saying Avenatti had several months beforehand to prepare, but said he "Will get involved" if the jail conditions interfered with the trial.
Submitted 1527 days ago
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