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Former President Donald Trump sued his former personal attorney Michael Cohen on Wednesday for $500 million, accusing him of “multiple breaches of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, conversion, and breaches of contract.”
Trump filed the lawsuit in federal court in Florida. The 32-page lawsuit accuses Cohen of breaching a confidentiality agreement and “spreading falsehoods” about Trump “with malicious intent and to wholly self-serving ends.” It also claims Trump “suffered vast reputational harm” due to Cohen’s admissions in books, podcasts, and media appearances.
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The lawsuit comes as Trump faces a 34-county felony indictment related to hush-money payments made allegedly on his behalf to a porn star and two others before the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Cohen, now a vocal critic of his former boss, is a key witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case.
Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis accused the former president of “abusing the judicial system as a form of harassment and intimidation against Michael Cohen.”
“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,” Davis said in a statement shared with Semafor.
“Mr. Cohen will not be deterred and is confident that the suit will fail based on the facts and the law,” he added. “Is there anyone in America, aside from a shrinking minority base of believers, who takes Mr. Trump seriously when he files these frivolous lawsuits?”