Former US President Donald Trump has filed a $500 million lawsuit against his former lawyer Michael Cohen. According to a source familiar with Trump’s legal team, the lawsuit against Cohen is unrelated to the Manhattan DA’s case.
Trump is seeking damages from Michael Cohen in a trial for compensatory, incidental, actual, and punitive losses.
The lawsuit states, “This is an action arising from [Cohen’s] multiple breaches of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, conversion and breaches of contract by virtue of [Cohen’s] past service as [Trump’s] employee and attorney.”
Fox News reported:
The lawsuit alleges Cohen breached his attorney-client relationship by “spreading falsehoods” about Trump that were “likely to be embarrassing or detrimental, and partook in other misconduct,” while also breaching contractual terms of a confidentiality agreement he signed as a condition of employment with Trump.
The lawsuit alleges Cohen spread falsehoods about Trump “with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends.”
The lawsuit details Cohen’s “myriad of public statements, including the publication of two books, a podcast series, and innumerable mainstream media appearances,” while ignoring “cease and desist” orders.
Trump and Cohen have a complex relationship that spanned over a decade. Cohen worked for Trump as his personal lawyer and fixer, handling many sensitive matters on his behalf.
However, their relationship became strained in early 2018, when the FBI raided Cohen’s office, home, and hotel room as part of an investigation into his business dealings. Cohen later pleaded guilty to a number of crimes, including campaign finance violations related to hush money payments he made to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
During his plea, Cohen implicated Trump in the scheme, alleging that he had directed him to make the payments. Trump has denied the allegations and has accused Cohen of lying to reduce his sentence.
Their relationship further deteriorated after Cohen cooperated with prosecutors, providing them with information about Trump’s business practices and personal life. In response, Trump has called Cohen a “rat” and a “liar,” and has dismissed his testimony as untrustworthy.