Trump drops lawsuit against Michael Cohen just days before former president was to be deposed
Oct 6, 2023, 8:00 AM | Updated: 10:37 am
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a rally at the Jackson County Fairgrounds on Sept. 20 in Maquoketa, Iowa. Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images
(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump dropped his lawsuit against his former attorney Michael Cohen four days before he was set to be deposed as part of the case, according to a court filing.
In a one-page court filing Thursday, President 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.”
CNN has reached out to President Trump for comment.
President Trump sued Cohen in April for $500 million alleging his former fixer breached his professional obligations as his confidant and attorney through the publication of his books as well as podcasts and media appearances. The lawsuit came days after former president was indicted on New York state charges relating to a hush money payment Cohen facilitated. Cohen testified before the grand jury in the case.
President Trump was scheduled to be deposed this week but asked the judge to postpone his deposition to allow him to attend his separate high-stakes civil fraud trial unfolding in New York. The judge allowed a brief delay and ordered former President Trump to be deposed on Monday in New York.
The judge overseeing the lawsuit denied President Trump’s efforts to limit the scope of the deposition, and President Trump’s criminal defense lawyer in the hush-money payment case was expected to sit in on the deposition to potentially advise former President Trump not to answer certain questions that could expose him to liability.
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 Attorney General Letitia James’ office said it opened its investigation after Cohen testified before Congress in 2019 alleging that President Trump inflated the value of his properties to get better interest rates on loans and insurance.
The judge overseeing the case found President Trump, his eldest sons, the Trump Organization and several executives liable for fraud and canceled the business certificates of some entities in a summary judgment. The case is now in its first week of trial as the state seeks to hold the individuals accountable and prove damages and other claims.
