Both Avenatti's estranged wife, who he is in the process of divorcing, and ex-wife issued statements saying he was never violent with them -- the former through her lawyer.
"My client states that there has never been domestic violence in her relationship with Michael and that she has never known Michael to be physically violent toward anyone," Valerie Prescott, Lisa Storie-Avenatti's lawyer, said. "My client requests that the media respect her privacy and that of the parties' young son."
Christine Avenatti-Carlin, Avenatti's first wife and mother of his two daughters, defended her ex-husband, too.
"I've known Michael for the last 26 years. We met when he was 21 years old and we were married for 13 years," she said. "Michael has always been a loving, kind father to our two daughters and husband.
"He has never been abusive to me or anyone else," Avenatti-Carlin added. "He is a very good man."