Topline
Michael Cohen, the long-time fixer of the former president, has accepted a settlement with Donald Trump over $1.9 million he said the Trump Organization refused to pay him, attorney’s for both parties said Friday, according to multiple news organizations, averting a trial set to begin next week.
Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen settled a lawsuit with the former president … [+] averting a trial set for next week. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Key Facts
Jury selection for a New York trial in this case began this week and opening arguments were scheduled to begin Monday, according to the New York Times.
However, during a hearing Friday, lawyers for both parties said they agreed on a confidential settlement, the Times reported.
The lawsuit stems from a long-running legal saga that began when Trump allegedly ordered Cohen to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, which led Cohen to eventually plead guilty to eight criminal charges related to campaign finance law, tax evasion and lying to Congress.
The lawsuit alleges Trump and the Trump Organizations refused to reimburse Cohen $1.9 million he was ordered to pay in fines, forfeiture and restitution for his guilty pleas.
While this settlement, if approved by the judge, would end this case, Trump and Cohen still have another in Florida where Trump is suing Cohen for allegedly “spreading falsehoods,” and Cohen is expected to be a star witness in separate Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg’s criminal prosecution of Trump.
What We Don’t Know
What the terms of the agreement are, since both parties said it will remain confidential.
Key Background
This lawsuit is based on allegations Trump paid Daniels $130,000 to stay silent over their affair and then falsified business records to keep that a secret. As Trump’s fixer, Cohen was the one who allegedly facilitated the payment to Daniels in the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign, and months later, after he became president, Trump allegedly reimbursed Cohen, and falsely classified the payments as legal expenses. It was these payments that Cohen served a three-year federal prison sentence in federal prison for. He also paid a $50,000 fine and was disbarred from practicing law. His lawsuit was seeking $1.9 million from Trump to pay for the costs he incurred during his criminal case.
Tangent
In March, Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony charges over these payments. In his charges, Bragg argues Trump falsified business records when he paid Cohen, and did so in an effort to conceal another crime. In addition to this Manhattan criminal case, Trump is also facing 37 federal criminal charges over allegations that he kept classified documents from his time as president after he had left the White House and refused to return them when authorities requested them.
Further Reading
Trump Classified Documents Trial Date Set For May–In Middle Of Campaign (Forbes)
Trump Loses Effort To Move Hush Money Case From New York To Federal Court (Forbes)
