Michael Cohen sues Trump Org alleging unpaid legal fees

He's seeking $1.9M

Michael Cohen and Donald Trump (Credit: Getty Images)
Michael Cohen and Donald Trump (Credit: Getty Images)

President Trump and his namesake real estate company owe their former attorney Michael Cohen more than $1.9 million in legal fees, Cohen alleged in a Thursday lawsuit.

The fees stem from more than a year of investigations into Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In the complaint, Cohen says the Trump Organization agreed in July 2017 that it would cover Cohen’s legal expenses related to 2016 campaign investigations as part of a “joint defense” agreement.

In August, however, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for paying hush money to two women who alleged affairs with Trump, payments Cohen said were made at Trump’s direction. He is expected to spend three years in prison, and just testified in a Congressional hearing against the president and others in his orbit.

Cohen alleges that in the two months following the April FBI raid of his Manhattan hotel room, the Trump Organization stopped honoring the indemnification agreement. Cohen said publicly that he would cooperate with prosecutors in June of 2018.

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“After it became clear that Mr. Cohen would cooperate in the Investigations, the Trump Organization took steps to thwart Mr. Cohen’s ability to receive amounts he was entitled to,” Cohen alleges in the complaint.

The suit is Cohen’s latest attempt to recoup cash ahead of his three year prison sentence and mounting legal expenses. Last month, Cohen sued taxi industry associate Semyon Shtayner for an unpaid Florida real estate loan in the amount of $6 million.

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.