Former US President Donald Trump is suing former personal attorney Michael Cohen for $500 million in damages for allegedly breaching his contract.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, April 12 in a federal court in Florida, accuses Cohen of spreading false information about Trump and breaching his contractual obligations to the former president through public statements, published books, podcast series, and other media appearances.
Cohen, Trump’s former “fixer,” recently returned to the spotlight after Trump pleaded not guilty last week to 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with an investigation into hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen coordinated the payments in the days leading up to the 2016 election, and he fully cooperated with federal prosecutors.
Trump’s rage at Cohen’s cooperation prompted the new lawsuit.
Among other things, the lawsuit claims Cohen violated attorney-client privilege and unjustly enriched himself. According to court filings, Trump claimed that Cohen violated his attorney-client relationship with him by “spreading falsehoods” and revealing confidential information.
Cohen’s credibility is under attack in the filing, which comes as he is expected to be a key witness in Trump’s upcoming criminal trial in New York.
The lawsuit claims Cohen breached the terms of a confidentiality agreement he agreed to while working for Trump, saying he did so “with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends.”
The filing references statements Cohen made in his book, “Disloyal: A Memoir,” as well as on his podcast and through media appearances, calling these the “most egregious breaches” of his contract with Trump.