Trump sues his former lawyer Michael Cohen for more than $600m
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Michael Cohen (left) was one of the witnesses who testified before the grand jury which ultimately indicted his former boss, Donald Trump.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
MIAMI – Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, a likely star witness in the criminal case facing the former US president
The suit, filed in a US district court in Florida, seeks US$500 million (S$664 million) from Mr Cohen over his alleged breach of attorney-client privileges and a confidentiality agreement.
Mr Cohen was among the witnesses who testified before the grand jury that ultimately indicted Trump, making him the first former or sitting US president to face criminal charges.
Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Mr Cohen says he arranged the US$130,000 payment in exchange for Ms Daniels’ silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Manhattan court on April 4.
In his lawsuit, Trump accuses Mr Cohen of “spreading falsehoods” about him and claimed to have suffered “vast reputational harm”.
“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,” the suit said.
Trump is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages of more than US$500 million.
The 76-year-old former real estate tycoon has been embroiled in scores of lawsuits over the past decades and has a long history of attacking his opponents in court.
Mr Cohen, 56, is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution if the criminal case against Trump in Manhattan ever goes to trial.
He has acknowledged paying Ms Daniels on Trump’s behalf and was sentenced to three years in prison for various crimes, including the hush money case and tax evasion.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a political “witch hunt” by the Manhattan district attorney – a Democrat – that is intended to derail his 2024 White House campaign. AFP
