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Donald Trump is dropping his $500 million lawsuit against his ex-lawyer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen

Oct 6, 2023, 09:33 IST
Business Insider
Michael Cohen and former President Donald Trump.REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz; Joe Raedle/Getty Images
  • Donald Trump is dropping his $500 million lawsuit against his former fixer Michael Cohen.
  • Trump's legal team on Thursday filed a notice that he would be "voluntarily dismissing" the suit.
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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday filed to dismiss his $500 million lawsuit against his former attorney, Michael Cohen.

Trump sued Cohen in federal court in April, with his lawyers accusing the latter of "spreading falsehoods" about the former president.

Trump's legal team alleged that Cohen, who once worked as a fixer for Trump but has since been outspoken against his old boss, breached his attorney-client relationship to make money off slamming the former president in his public statements and books.

But a new Thursday filing by Trump's team in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida said the former president is "voluntarily dismissing" his case against Cohen.

Trump was set to appear four days later to answer questions related to his lawsuit against Cohen. The new filing does not give a reason for him dropping the action.

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On Thursday evening, Cohen told Insider in a statement: "As I have said from the beginning: this case was nothing more than a retaliatory intimidation tactic, and his attempt to hide from routine discovery procedures confirms as much."

"Mr. Trump's cowardly dismissal spells the end of this latest attempt to deter me from providing truthful testimony against him," Cohen continued.

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign said the former president "has decided to temporarily pause" his legal action against Cohen, citing Trump's other ongoing legal cases and presidential campaign schedule.

"Once President Trump has prevailed in dealing with the witch hunts against him, he will continue to pursue his claims against Michael Cohen, who rightfully deserves to, and will be held accountable for his unlawful words and actions just as the Southern District of New York held him accountable for numerous non-Trump related acts and crimes, making Cohen a very 'proud' felon," the spokesperson said.

Trump currently faces four indictments covering a total of 91 felony charges. The first of the four indictments brought against Trump included the accusation that he was connected to a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

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Cohen, a key witness in the Stormy Daniels case, has said Trump directed him to make the payment to keep Daniels quiet before the 2016 presidential election.

October 6, 2023: This story was updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for Trump's campaign.

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