Michael Avenatti, the celebrity lawyer, pled “not guilty” to an indictment accusing him of trying to extort as much as $25 million from Nike Inc.
In May 2019, Avenatti was charged with trying to extort Nike by threatening to go public with claims the company was facilitating payments to the families of high school basketball stars.
His not-guilty plea came after U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe read each of the three counts against him in Manhattan federal court, according to Reuters. The amended Nike indictment dropped two conspiracy counts but added a charge of honest services fraud.
A trial is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2020, and could last the rest of January. Nike has denied wrongdoing.
