Nike has asked a federal judge to reject a subpoena request from celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, according to the Portland Business Journal.
In court papers, Nike asserts the government already has the documents Avenatti is seeking because of Nike’s ongoing cooperation with federal prosecutors.
Nike’s letter to a federal judge is part of the ongoing criminal case against Avenatti for allegedly attempting to extort Nike. Prosecutors claim Avenatti demanded between $15 million and $25 million from Nike or else he would reveal damaging information about the company. Avenatti has denied the charges.
In a subsequent letter on Friday to the same judge, Avenatti’s lawyers said Nike’s legal arguments in opposition to his subpoena request are “wide of the mark.”
