Following former President Trump’s videotaped deposition in the rape case of E. Jean Carroll, another proceeding will likely find the former president answering questions under oath again.
A discovery hearing is being held Wednesday in federal court in Miami in the former president’s $500 million lawsuit against his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Sources say Trump is expected to be subpoenaed to testify in the case, and that as a plaintiff he cannot legally avoid giving a statement.
Trump accuses Cohen of defaming him and breaking a non-disclosure agreement by “spreading falsehoods” about him in Cohen’s books, interviews and on his “Mea Culpa” podcast.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023. Trump held the rally at the site of a deadly 1993 confrontation between an anti-government cult and law enforcement federal (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
But Cohen’s side has moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the former president’s “retaliatory conduct has been mean-spirited and mean-spirited,” that his lawsuit is past the statute of limitations. In addition, Cohen’s attorney, Danya Perry, argued that Mr. Cohen are protected speech and do not violate any alleged confidentiality agreement because they deal with Trump’s reputation and not confidential business matters of the Trump Organization, which Cohen employed.
“It is a mystery how Mr. Trump’s reputation could have suffered. Mr. Trump’s disgrace is known worldwide and was long before Mr. Cohen published his book. It is the product of decades of actions by Mr. Trump, who has thrown himself onto a global stage for all to see,” the court filing says.
Cohen also accuses his former boss of using the courts as a weapon, as he has often been accused of doing in filing numerous lawsuits.
Bragg alleged that Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen orchestrated the hush money payments on Trump’s behalf. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
“How many times do we have to see Donald abuse the legal system for retaliation, witness tampering or obstruction of justice?” Cohen told Fox News, “If this statement follows in the footsteps of his videotaped statement by E. Jean Carroll, I’m sure he will be just as pathetic and disingenuous in his responses.”
Earlier this year, Trump and his lawyers were fined $1 million by a judge who accused the Trump team of using the courts to file frivolous lawsuits for political purposes. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks of the Southern District of Florida ruled that Trump engaged in “abusive litigation tactics.”
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“Frivolous lawsuits should not be used as a vehicle for fundraising or fodder for rallies or social media,” he wrote. “Mr. Trump is using the courts as an arena for political theater and grievance. This behavior interferes with the judiciary’s ability to fulfill its constitutional duty.”
The federal judge overseeing the case against Cohen, Judge Darrin Gale, has been called “the first openly gay black man” to serve on the federal bench in the Southern District of Florida. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014.
Michael Cohen said he did not want to see former President Donald Trump handcuffed or “paraded” out of respect for the “institution of the presidency.” (AP)
Trump accuses Cohen of causing “great damage to his reputation” and says his former lawyer has “become emboldened and continues to make repeated false and unlawful statements,” and that his critical comments “have come to a proverbial crescent” that has left him no action. but submit the demand.
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In addition, both will face court in another lawsuit in July. Cohen is suing the Trump Organization for $2.3 million in legal fees to handle the Stormy Daniels case and other matters.
Follow Eric Shawn on Twitter: @EricShawnTV
