The jury in Orange County found that Michael Avenattie was liable for conversion and breach of fiduciary duty to Stoll, Nussbaum & Polakov, APC because he did not pay a portion of attorney fees due to that firm which totaled over 5 million dollars, plus interest.
The Stoll firm was seeking over 40 million dollars, including punitive damages, in a case that lasted 11 years. The witnesses involved in the case, besides Michael Avenatti, were Tom Girardi, Brian Panish, Edith Matthai, and others. The case was hard-fought. The verdict form was 19 pages with 72 questions, and the jury rendered a unanimous verdict on behalf of the defense in two hours.