Michael Cohen, the former attorney of Donald Trump, has announced plans to summon one of Trump’s sons as a witness in an upcoming trial. The trial revolves around a dispute over whether Trump’s company should pay Cohen up to $1.3 million in legal fees. Cohen initially filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization in March 2019, seeking payment for his services in defending both Trump and himself during various investigations. Cohen’s attorneys argue that Donald Trump Jr., an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, should testify because the company covered his legal fees for similar investigations.
The attorney for Cohen, Hunter Winstead, stated in court that they also intended to call Donald Trump himself as a witness to testify on the existence of oral agreements regarding Cohen’s legal fees. However, Judge Joel Cohen deemed Trump’s testimony unnecessary after the Trump Organization lawyers agreed not to dispute the existence of oral agreements. The attorney for the company, James Kiley, expressed objection to the inclusion of both Trumps on the witness list, considering them irrelevant and labeling their inclusion as “borderline harassment.” The Trump Organization did not provide a comment on the matter.
Cohen claims that the Trump Organization owes him legal fees for his defense during investigations conducted in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations and tax evasion. The Trump Organization argues that Cohen’s criminal conduct goes against any agreements they had with him. Cohen, now at odds with Trump, plays a crucial role as the key witness in a criminal case in Manhattan. His attorneys assert that he incurred over $500,000 in legal fees related to this case, in which he testifies against Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty in this case, which primarily focuses on reimbursements made to Cohen for a “hush money” payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, just before the 2016 presidential election. Eight days after his arraignment in April, Trump sued Cohen for over $500 million, accusing him of breaching his fiduciary duty and attorney-client privileges for unjust enrichment. Cohen has considered filing a countersuit, characterizing the lawsuit as an attempt to intimidate him.
The legal battle between Trump and Cohen is just one of the numerous legal challenges faced by the former president. In June, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal felony charges related to the alleged retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. This case was brought by special counsel Jack Smith, who is also overseeing another investigation into Trump’s involvement in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Meanwhile, in Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis is nearing a decision on whether to file charges in an investigation into Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results, which Trump lost. Trump has vehemently denied all allegations and criticized the prosecutors, claiming political bias and a coordinated “witch hunt.”
Jury selection for Cohen’s lawsuit is set to commence on July 17.
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