Former President Donald Trump has voluntarily dismissed his $500 million lawsuit against his former attorney Michael Cohen, who had accused him of fraud and campaign finance violations. The move comes just days before Trump was scheduled to be deposed under oath as part of the case.
Trump’s lawyer filed a one-page notice in federal court on Thursday, stating that the former president was dropping the case without prejudice, meaning he could refile it later. Trump had sued Cohen in April, alleging that he breached his fiduciary duty and confidentiality agreement by publishing a book, hosting a podcast and making media appearances that were critical of Trump and revealed damaging information about their relationship.
Cohen, who served as Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer for more than a decade, had cooperated with federal and state prosecutors in several investigations involving Trump, his business and his associates. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges that included arranging hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump before the 2016 election. He also testified before Congress in 2019, accusing Trump of inflating his assets, lying about his dealings with Russia and obstructing justice.
Trump’s lawsuit came a week after he was indicted by a New York grand jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, tax fraud and other crimes related to his company’s financial dealings. Cohen had testified before the same grand jury as a witness for the prosecution. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and called them a political witch hunt.
Trump was scheduled to be deposed in the lawsuit against Cohen on Monday, but he had asked the judge to postpone it until after he had attended his civil fraud trial in New York, where he is being sued by the state attorney general for allegedly inflating the value of his properties to obtain loans and insurance. The judge had granted a brief delay, but also denied Trump’s request to limit the scope of the deposition and ordered him to answer questions about his finances, his business practices and his communications with Cohen.
Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in a statement that Trump’s decision to drop the lawsuit was an act of cowardice and an admission of defeat. He said that Trump knew he would be exposed as a liar and a fraud if he had faced Cohen under oath.
“This case was nothing more than a retaliatory intimidation tactic, and his attempt to hide from routine discovery procedures confirms as much,” Davis said. “Michael Cohen will continue to speak the truth about Donald Trump and hold him accountable for his crimes and corruption.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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