Donald Trump ‘Temporarily’ Halts the $500 Million Lawsuit Against His Former Attorney Michael Cohen
Without prejudice, Donald Trump has halted his $500 million lawsuit against Michael Cohen, his former attorney, for the time being. This gives him the option to reintroduce the case in the future. In a criminal prosecution against Trump, Cohen has remained a key witness. When the former lawyer had spoken out about the hush-money payments made to women during Trump's 2016 campaign, which are at the center of the criminal allegations he faces in New York, Trump accused Cohen of "spreading falsehoods" "with malicious intent" and inflicting "vast reputational harm" on the company. Cohen had signed a confidentiality agreement as a requirement of his job, and the Republican leader had accused him of violating that deal.
In a statement to CBS News, Trump's team said that his current legal and political conflicts, combined with his campaign for president in 2024, are taking up too much of his attention to pursue the litigation at this time. "Given that President Trump is required to sit for deposition in a civil matter on Columbus Day when he is scheduled to be in the Great State of New Hampshire, and while the President is fighting against the meritless claims that have been lodged against him in New York, Washington D.C., Florida, and Georgia, as well as continuing his winning campaign, where he is leading the Republicans by 60 points and Crooked Joe Biden by 11 points, to serve as our next President of the United States, President Trump has decided to temporarily pause his meritorious claims against Michael Cohen," the campaign statement revealed.
The deposition of the former president, which Cohen's lawyers had planned to do on Tuesday, was postponed so that Trump could attend the first few days of the trial in the New York fraud case that state Attorney General Letitia James had filed. This weekend was chosen as the new date for the deposition. In an exclusive statement to CBS News, Cohen had called the lawsuit "nothing more than a retaliatory intimidation tactic, and his attempt to hide from routine discovery procedures confirms as much. Trump's cowardly dismissal spells the end of this latest attempt to deter me from providing truthful testimony against him," said the former attorney, who is an important witness in a criminal case in Manhattan in which Trump has pleaded not guilty to allegations of falsifying business records on a felony level.
Trump brought a lawsuit against Cohen in April, alleging that his former lawyer had violated his "fiduciary duty" and attorney-client protections to become "unjustly enriched." It came after the business tycoon was charged with forging financial records to hide three payments, including one that Cohen allegedly orchestrated for adult film star Stormy Daniels. He may file again in the future, according to his campaign. "Once President Trump has prevailed in dealing with the witch hunts against him, he will continue to pursue his claims against Michael Cohen, who rightfully deserves to, and will be held accountable for his unlawful words and actions just as the Southern District of New York held him accountable for numerous non-Trump related acts and crimes, making Cohen a very 'proud' felon," the statement said.
Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said, "It appears he is terrified by his looming legal perils and is attempting to send a message to other potential witnesses who are cooperating with prosecutors against him." Cohen served as Trump's attorney and "fixer" until the two fell out in front of a large audience. The $250 million civil fraud case James filed against Trump was strengthened thanks to Cohen's testimony. This week, Trump made an appearance in court for the trial. Trump has denied doing anything illegal.
