Michael Cohen says he arranged the $130,000 payment in exchange for Stormy Daniel’s silence.
Miami, United States:
Donald Trump on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, a likely star witness in the criminal case against the former US president in New York.
The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. District Court in Florida, seeks $500 million from Cohen for his alleged breach of attorney-client privileges and a confidentiality agreement.
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.
He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business documents in connection with a silent payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen says he arranged the payment of $130,000 in exchange for his silence on a date Daniels says he had with Trump in 2006.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Manhattan court on April 4.
In his lawsuit, Trump accused Cohen of “spreading lies” about him and claimed to have suffered “significant damage to his reputation.”
“Such continued and escalating improper conduct by (Cohen) has reached a proverbial crescendo and has left (Trump) no alternative but to seek legal redress,” the lawsuit said.
Trump is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages of more than $500 million.
The 76-year-old former property mogul has been embroiled in numerous lawsuits over the past decades and has a long history of attacking opponents in court.
Cohen, 56, is expected to be a star prosecution witness if the criminal case against Trump in Manhattan ever goes to trial.
He admitted paying Daniels on behalf of Trump and was sentenced to three years in prison for various crimes, including the silence affair and tax evasion.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a political “witch hunt” by the Manhattan District Attorney, a Democrat, intended to derail his 2024 campaign for the White House.
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