It certainly took some time but attorney and former would-be presidential candidate Michael Avenatti will not be charged with a misdemeanor related to a domestic violence incident that (allegedly) took place last year. From the LA Times:

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office said the matter has been referred for a hearing, but criminal charges have not been filed.

“This matter has been set for city attorney hearings in which both the victim and the suspect will have an opportunity to be heard on different days. The victim will be advised of services available to her,” the office said in a statement. “The suspect will be informed that although we decline to file charges at this time, this matter remains open and we may file charges at any time prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations.”

Avenatti was arrested in November on suspicion of domestic violence. At the time, Avenatti claimed he was innocent and said he would be vindicated:

In a statement from his law office, Avenatti denied any allegation of abuse or violence: "I have never been physically abusive in my life nor was I last night." pic.twitter.com/4HmrF72it4

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) November 15, 2018

About a week later, he got a partial vindication when the LA District attorney announced he would not be charged with a felony.

A case presented today by #LosAngeles police involving attorney Michael Avenatti has been referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for misdemeanor filing consideration, the #LACounty District Attorney’s Office announced. @CityAttorneyLA @LAPDHQ #LADAOffice

— George Gascón (@LADAOffice) November 21, 2018

In California, domestic violence can be charged as a felony or as a misdemeanor depending on the severity of the incident. So the fact that Avenatti was off the hook still left the possibility that he could be charged with the misdemeanor. Since the City Attorney’s Office has now decided he won’t be charged for that either, he’s completely off the hook. Charges could be filed later but at this point there’s no reason to think they will be.

I don’t think much of Avenatti or the way he does business but the facts are what they are. He may be a grandstanding blowhard but the law says he’s not a domestic abuser.