Michael Cohen settles lawsuit against Trump Organization

Days before it was set to go to trial, a lawsuit filed by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen against his former employer, the Trump Organization, has been settled.

Cohen planned to call one of the former president Donald Trump's sons as a witness in the trial. Cohen sued in 2019, saying the company owed him legal fees for his work defending Trump and himself during investigations in 2017 and 2018, and during roughly 20 meetings with the Manhattan district attorney and a grand jury before Trump was indicted in March. 

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not return a request for comment.

An attorney for Cohen said in court earlier this month that Donald Trump Jr., a Trump Organization executive vice president, was a relevant potential witness because the company covered his legal fees in relation to some of the same investigations for which Cohen is seeking payment.

"We would like to introduce testimony about what Mr. Trump Jr. paid his lawyers in the exact same matters," said the attorney, Hunter Winstead.

Cohen entered a guilty plea in 2018 to federal campaign finance violations and tax evasion, and the company has argued his criminal conduct was in violation of any agreements it had with him.

Cohen, now a Trump adversary who is enmeshed in a tangled web of litigation involving his former boss, is the key witness in the Manhattan criminal case. Cohen's attorneys say he incurred more than $500,000 in legal fees related to that case, in which Cohen is a key witness against Trump.

Trump has entered a not guilty plea in the case, which centers on a series of reimbursements paid to Cohen after the ex-lawyer arranged a "hush money" payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. 

In:
• The Trump Organization
• Michael Cohen
• Donald Trump

Graham Kates

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]