Judge tosses Michael Cohen’s lawsuit over Trump legal bills

A judge has tossed out a lawsuit filed by former President Trump’s previous attorney Michael Cohen, who attempted to get the Trump Organization to pay millions of dollars in legal fees Cohen incurred in lawsuits relating to Trump’s campaign and business dealings. 

Federal Judge Joel Cohen tossed out Cohen’s lawsuit on Friday, in part because the Trump Organization already paid “large swaths” of Cohen’s outstanding legal bills. 

Cohen was one of the former president’s allies until 2018, when he turned against Trump by implicating the former president in a felony while he himself pleaded guilty to campaign finance and fraud charges. 

Cohen has been involved in multiple lawsuits as a result of his work for Trump. He was interviewed several times for an investigation into the former president’s finances. 

Cohen alleged in the suit that the Trump Organization promised to pay legal fees he incurred in these proceedings, but then failed to do so after Cohen turned against Trump.

“​​In a nutshell, Mr. Cohen’s legal fees arise out of his (sometimes unlawful) service to Mr. Trump personally, to Mr. Trump’s campaign, and to the Trump Foundation, but not out of his service to the business of the Trump Organization, which is the only defendant in this case,” the judge wrote in his decision. 

The Trump Organization celebrated the dismissal on Friday, with a spokesperson calling it an “incredible victory” against a “convicted felon” in a statement.

“Mr. Cohen attempted to invent a basis for requiring the Trump Organization to pay his legal fees for personal criminal conduct (including perjury),” the spokesperson said.

“Mr. Cohen’s attempts at self-enrichment, however, once again failed. Having won this case, we now look forward to seeking monetary damages against Mr. Cohen for all of his despicable conduct,” the spokesperson added.