President Donald Trump has sued his former attorney Michael Cohen for $500 million. He claims it has nothing to do with the Manhattan hush-money case.
Trump filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court Southern District of Florida – Miami Division.
The 32-page lawsuit (PDF) spells out all the allegations against Cohen.
“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,” the lawsuit states.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.It claims Cohen has, in recent months, “increased the frequency and hostility of the illicit acts” and “appears to have become emboldened and repeatedly continues to make wrongful and false statements” about Trump through various platforms.”Such continuous and escalating improper conduct by [Cohen] has reached a proverbial crescendo and has left [Trump] with no alternative but to seek legal redress through this action,” the lawsuit states, adding that Trump has “suffered vast reputational harm as a direct result of [Cohen’s] breaches.”
Trump wants Cohen hand over “actual, compensatory, incidental, and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but expected to substantially exceed $500,000,000.”
Trump has demanded “profits, payments, compensations, advances, royalties” Cohen has or will receive from books and podcasts.
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“[Cohen’s] improper, self-serving, and malicious statements about his former client, his family members, and his business constitute repeated and substantial violations of his continuing fiduciary obligations as an attorney,” the lawsuit states, “[Cohen] chose to capitalize on his confidential relationship with [Trump] to pursue financial gain and repair a reputation shattered by his repeated misrepresentations and deceptive acts, fueled by his animus toward [Trump] and his family members.”The lawsuit adds that Cohen “must be held accountable.”
The lawsuit also mentions how Cohen lavished praise upon Trump when his employment started in 2006:
Among other innumerable positive statements made by [Cohen] about [Trump] and his role as [Trump’s] attorney, [Cohen] described his job as ‘very surreal,’ claiming he had ‘been admiring Donald Trump since high school,'” it asserts.The lawsuit states that Cohen said Trump was a “‘wonderful man’ who would be ‘an amazing president,’ and someone [Cohen] thought ‘the world of’ as a ‘businessman’ and ‘a boss.'””[Cohen] stated that [Trump] was ‘smart’ and ‘the greatest negotiator on the planet,’ and described his own role as the one ‘who protects the President and the family,’ and strongly stated that he ‘would take a bullet’ for Trump,” the lawsuit states.The lawsuit points to Cohen’s past statements that Trump “deserved” his “loyalty” because “one man who wants to do so much good with so many detractors against him needs support,” as well as Cohen’s comments calling Trump “an honorable guy.”
Trump says the lawsuit has nothing to do with the case in Manhattan, but you cannot ignore the fact that Cohen is at the center of it.
Cohen has told officials and the Manhattan grand jury that he paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 by order of Trump to stay quiet about a supposed affair. Trump allegedly paid Cohen back in monthly installments.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg accused Trump of falsifying business records. He has tried to make the charges a felony “by arguing that it was attached to a second crime.” He claimed the payment “amounted to an improper donation to Trump’s campaign because it kept the affair under wraps and benefited his candidacy.”
The grand jury indicted Trump on 34 counts.
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