Michael Avenatti gets trial date over alleged Nike extortion

Lawyer Michael Avenatti is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 12 in federal court in Manhattan on charges of extorting Nike Inc.

U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe scheduled the trial at a hearing on Tuesday, according to a court record. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“I look forward to a New York jury hearing all of the relevant evidence relating to Nike,” the California lawyer wrote in an email.

“I have complete confidence in the truth and am confident that I will be exonerated at the end of the trial.”

Avenatti, 48, was arrested on March 25 in New York on charges of trying to extort more than $20 million from Nike by threatening to expose what he called its improper payments to recruits for college basketball teams it sponsored. Nike has denied wrongdoing.