Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against his former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, for more than $500 million. The legal action accuses Cohen of violating their attorney-client relationship and spreading "embarrassing or detrimental" lies about the former president.
The 32-page document was filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. It alleges that Cohen committed "multiple breaches of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment," and breached his contract with Trump by "spreading falsehoods" about him. As a result, it claims that Trump has suffered vast reputational harm due to these actions.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law by arranging payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal before the 2016 presidential election. However, Trump denied these charges and pleaded not guilty on April 4 on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The lawsuit further alleges that Cohen overcharged for services rendered during his time as an employee and attorney for Trump. It demands repayment of $74,000 in excess fees paid by the former president along with an additional $500 million in damages caused by alleged breaches in their contract.
Cohen is expected to be a key witness in Manhattan district attorney's case against Trump after a grand jury voted to indict him in connection with hush money payments involving Stormy Daniels.
Trump's complaint also cites instances where he believes confidential information from their attorney-client relationship was disclosed publicly without consent or authorization—specifically mentioning four occasions when Stephanie Clifford (also known as Stormy Daniels) appeared on Cohen's podcast.
Newsweek reached out to Michael Dreeben—an attorney representing Michael Cohen—for comment via text message but received no response at press time.