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Donald Trump "chickened out" of his $500 million lawsuit against his former lawyer Michael Cohen so he did not have to sit for a deposition in the case, according to a legal expert.
On Thursday evening, Trump voluntarily withdrew his suit against Cohen in which he accused the attorney of "spreading falsehoods" about the former president that were "likely to be embarrassing or detrimental" for financial gain, and of violating New York Rules of Professional Conduct.
Court documents show that Trump dismissed the case without prejudice without clarifying further. Trump's office said in a statement that the former president's schedule, where he is currently involved in a civil fraud trial in New York, campaigning across the country for the presidency, and facing four criminal trials, meant he was unable to follow through with the suit against Cohen.
Tristan Snell, a lawyer and former assistant attorney general for New York state, suggested that Trump dropped the case as he could not further delay sitting for a deposition and testifying under oath as part of the $500 million lawsuit.
Trump was scheduled to sit for a deposition on Monday, October 9. The original deposition had been delayed so the former president could attend the opening days of the civil trial at a Manhattan courtroom in relation to New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit against the former president.
"Congrats, Michael Cohen. You made Trump blink. He chickened out. Well done," Snell posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"The only reason Trump came to his NY AG trial this week was so he could delay his deposition in his case against Michael Cohen. The deposition got moved to next Monday. He couldn't get it moved again—and he was afraid to testify. So Trump has now withdrawn the case," Snell added.
Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.
Trump filed his suit against Cohen in April, days after the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with the hush money he instructed Cohen to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair she had with the former president a secret ahead of the 2016 election.
In the suit, Trump accused Cohen of violating a confidentiality agreement by publicly discussing his work with the former president in his books, podcast series, and television interviews. Trump also claimed Cohen released his 2020 book Disloyal at a time when it would be "most lucrative" to do so and cause the "most damaging reputational effect" for the former president.
In a statement, Trump's team said the former president's schedule is the reason for withdrawing the suit, while suggesting it is just a temporary measure.
"Given that President Trump is required to sit for deposition in a civil matter on Columbus Day, when he is scheduled to be in the Great State of New Hampshire, and while the President is fighting against the meritless claims that have been lodged against him in New York, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Georgia, as well as continuing his winning campaign, where he is leading the Republicans by 60 points and Crooked Joe Biden by 11 points, to serve as our next President of the United States, President Trump has decided to temporarily pause his meritorious claims against Michael Cohen," the statement said.
"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."
Reacting to the withdrawal of the suit, Cohen said the case was "nothing more than a retaliatory intimidation tactic" and that Trump's 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. My legal team and I now look forward to turning our full attention to holding Mr. Trump accountable for his latest abuse of the legal system," he said.
Cohen could be called upon as a potential key witness in the $250 million civil fraud trial in New York, where James accuses the former president of inflating the value of a number of properties by billions of dollars in financial statements.
It was Cohen's 2019 congressional testimony that triggered the investigation that resulted in James' lawsuit against Trump.
Cohen is also set to be called as a witness in the falsifying business records trial in New York, which is due to begin in April 2024.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more