Michael Cohen, a personal lawyer of Donald Trump’s for over a decade, is settling a lawsuit he brought against the Trump Organization in 2019.
Jurors were already sworn in and the trial was set to begin Monday, but lawyers for both parties agreed in court on Friday to a settlement.
In a statement on Friday, Mr. Cohen said “this matter has been resolved in a manner satisfactory to all parties.”
The Trump Organization and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Mr. Cohen had brought the case over $1.9 million in fees he says he was owed and another $1.9 million he said he was ordered to give up over a criminal case.
The settlement takes one of Mr. Trump’s many legal battles off his plate as he continues to campaign for a second term as president.
Mr. Cohen is still also facing a $500 million lawsuit from Mr. Trump over revealing “confidences” and “spreading falsehoods,” which he has raised over $230,000 for through crowdfunding to cover legal fees.
Loyalist-Turned-Detractor
“Time and time again, I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” Mr. Cohen said in 2018 as he pleaded guilty to a number of crimes he said he committed for Mr. Trump as he was running for office.The crimes included making illegal payments to two women in exchange for not speaking publicly about affairs they claimed to have with Mr. Trump, which is now the subject of another lawsuit in which Mr. Cohen is expected to testify.
Mr. Cohen’s 2018 testimony marked a solid break from Mr. Trump. That year, federal investigations into Mr. Trump led to the search of Mr. Cohen’s home, which he’s noted as just one of many events that led to his change of heart.
Legal Battles Mounting
Mr. Trump is currently embroiled in several other cases.Mr. Trump has decried these actions as “election interference” on the part of the Biden administration. Notably, many legal challenges were timed as President Joe Biden’s approval ratings stagnated and Mr. Trump’s popularity rose, but the indictments themselves also correlated with upticks in the polls.
Many Republicans and supporters of Mr. Trump have repeated the “election interference” reasoning, and cast doubt on the legality of the charges brought against Mr. Trump.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday he doesn’t see how former President Donald Trump could be found criminally responsible for the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I don’t see how he could be found criminally responsible,” Mr. McCarthy said. “What criminal activity did he do? He told people to be peaceful.”