Trump Drops His $500 Million Lawsuit Against Michael Cohen The Day Before His Deposition

Donald Trump abandoned his lawsuit against his former attorney Michael Cohen just four days before the scheduled deposition of the former president as part of the case.

Through a spokesperson, Trump asserted that he wanted to put a temporary halt on the litigation. It was, however, apparent that the situation has become more complicated due to the four criminal cases Trump currently faces.

In a one-page court filing on Thursday, Trump’s attorney wrote, “Plaintiff, President Donald J. Trump, by and through undersigned counsel, hereby gives notice that pursuant to Rule 41(1)(A)(i) he is voluntarily dismissing this action without prejudice.”

In April, Trump filed a $500 million lawsuit against Cohen. He alleged that his former confidant and attorney had breached professional obligations when he appeared in the media discussing Trump’s finances.

This followed Trump’s indictment on New York State charges related to a hush money payment facilitated by Cohen. Cohen provided testimony before the grand jury involved in the case.

Trump requested a postponement of his deposition, originally scheduled for later this week, in order to attend a separate civil fraud trial in New York. The judge granted a short delay and mandated that Trump be deposed on Monday in New York.

The judge who oversaw the lawsuit rejected Trump’s attempts to restrict the scope of the deposition. Many legal observers say that Trump just wanted to avoid being deposed.

Cohen is expected to testify later this month as a witness for the New York attorney general’s office in the civil fraud trial in New York.

New York A.G. Letitia James’ office announced that it had opened its investigation after Cohen testified before Congress in 2019 when he said Trump had inflated the value of his property in an attempt to get better interest rates on loans and insurance.

The judge who oversaw the case found Trump, his eldest sons, the Trump Organization, and several executives liable for fraud. As a result, the business certificates of certain entities were revoked. The case is set to begin its second week on Monday.