“Mr. Avenatti did not inflict any corporal injury or cause any traumatic condition,” Evan Jenness, a lawyer representing Michael Avenatti, the Donald Trump scold and putative long-shot Democratic contender, wrote in a five-page letter dated November 19. The document, which is addressed to detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department, pertains to Avenatti’s arrest last week on suspicion of domestic violence at his Century City apartment. At the time, a spokesman for the L.A.P.D. said Avenatti’s arrest stemmed from an episode that had occurred late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Another police spokesman told the Associated Press that the alleged victim had visible injuries. Avenatti was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon and subsequently released several hours later after posting $50,000 bail. Upon release, he told reporters that he had never struck a woman and had been an advocate for women his entire career. “I am looking forward to a full investigation,” he said, “at which point I am confident that I will be fully exonerated.”

Avenatti has continued to deny all wrongdoing on his Twitter feed, insinuating that he has fallen victim to a trap laid by a far-right conspiracy theorist, which he has not since elaborated on. On Monday, according to court records, his accuser filed a request for a restraining order against him. The application for the restraining order was not available online, though the court docket indicates a hearing scheduled for next month. Avenatti has said he has not been formally charged. On Tuesday, gossip Web site the Blast published a copy of what it said was the declaration that Avenatti’s accuser filed with the court in her request for a restraining order. According to the Blast, she says the two argued over money, and that Avenatti hit her forcefully in the face with pillows, yanked her out of bed by the arm, and dragged her through the apartment. She claims that she was scratched on her back and had red marks on her body. She also claims that, in February, Avenatti shoved her and threw her shoes at her. (Avenatti declined to comment for this article. An official for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which is representing the accuser, declined to comment on the letter or the case in general. Vanity Fair has decided to protect the accuser’s anonymity.)

Meanwhile, Avenatti’s lawyer has hired investigators at John Brown & Associates to collect information about the incident, such as reviewing video footage from his apartment building and interviewing witnesses present during the evening currently in question. Some of these findings are laid out in the aforementioned letter, which I obtained on Tuesday morning. “Among the footage is a video taken from a security camera in the elevator in which Mr. Avenatti and [his accuser] rode from the twenty-second floor . . . This footage, which was recorded within seconds after the claimed incident, shows the two standing next to each other, without any physical contact for the duration of the ride,” the letter reads. “Mr. Avenatti is shown as neither aggressive nor animated. Footage from a security camera in the foyer also shows both parties, again without any physical contact, or even menacing gestures. No physical injuries are evident on [his accuser] . . . notwithstanding the fact that her face and neck are visible, as well as other parts of her body. . . . To be clear, the extensive video evidence supports a determination that Mr. Avenatti did nothing wrong and should not be charged.” (The letter’s emphasis.) The letter indicates that a building security guard present repeatedly asked the woman if she wanted to call the police. According to the document, she declined.

The letter lays out a series of explanations for what Avenatti believes may have led to the incident. Avenatti’s attorney writes that the woman had recently begun taking Myorisan, a generic form of Accutane, a strong acne medication known for its intense side effects, while still using medications prescribed for pain stemming from recent cosmetic surgery. According to the letter, she had spent the earlier part of that evening participating as a dancer in a Snoop Dogg music-video shoot, and socialized with others after it wrapped. The lawyer’s report stipulates that the security guard present said the accuser admitted to drinking that evening. In the lawyer’s letter, he also notes that the security guard said the accuser complained Avenatti was no longer offering financial assistance; the accuser mentioned, according to the letter, that she did not have enough gas money to drive one of Avenatti’s cars earlier that day. “We are concerned about potential animosity because Mr. Avenatti had promised [her] assistance in paying off a credit card debt she has accumulated, but obviously he has not done so in light of the emergency protective order and current events,” the attorney writes.