A day after The Daily Beast revealed that Avenatti and his former companies owe millions in unpaid taxes and judgments, a judge orders the lawyer to pay $4.85M to former colleague.

By Kate Briquelet & Carmen Tsa @ DailyBeast.com, Oct. 22

Michael Avenatti must pay $4.85 million to a former colleague who claims the lawyer stiffed him out of millions in profits, a Los Angeles judge ruled Monday.

The decision comes as Avenatti floats his name as a contender to oppose Donald Trump in 2020, and makes appearances at Democratic events ahead of the midterm elections—including in New Hampshire, where he was slated to speak Monday. The attorney launched a political action committee, Fight PAC, to bolster his efforts.

But as The Daily Beast reported, Avenatti and his current and former companies owe millions in unpaid taxes and judgments—including the $4.85 million settlement to the former employee, Jason Frank. The lawyer’s tangled finances will likely come under scrutiny if he does officially announce his candidacy [....]