New York (AP) — Donald Trump’s company became a critic of the voice of the former president and was borne by his former private lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who went to jail after pleading guilty to taxes and other crimes. No need to pay legal invoices for crimes, New York judges ruled Friday.
Judge Joel M. Cohen dismissed Cohen’s breach of contract proceedings against the Trump Organization, rejected his claim that the company promised to cover his legal claims, and criminalized his conduct. As a result of the company’s responsibility he decided that the charges he had accumulated were not.
Michael Cohen said in a proceeding filed in March 2019 that the Trump Organization owes him at least $ 1.9 million for his defense. The judge said in his judgment that Trump’s company was willing to pay part of his invoice after the proceedings were filed.
“In a nutshell, Mr. Cohen’s statutory costs result from his personal (sometimes illegal) service to Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump’s campaign, and service to the Trump Foundation, but to the business of the Trump organization. It does not result from service, it is the only defendant in this case, “the judge wrote in his decision.
Michael Cohen and the judge have nothing to do with each other.
Michael Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, tweeted that the decision was “unfair” and asked for a donation to the GoFundMe page set up for Cohen’s legal defense in 2018. So far, this page has raised over $ 217,000.
In a statement, the Trump Organization touted the ruling as an “incredible victory” and “sought monetary damages for all of Mr. Cohen’s sneaky acts.”
“Mr. Cohen sought to devise a basis for requiring the Trump Organization to pay attorneys’ fees for personal criminal activity (including perjury),” he said. “But Cohen’s attempt to self-concentrate failed again.”
Cohen said in a proceeding after the Trump Organization began working with federal prosecutors in an investigation related to Trump’s commerce in Russia and tried to silence the woman with embarrassing stories about his personal life. Claimed to have stopped paying legal fees.
According to the proceedings, the company stopped paying Cohen’s legal defenses about two months after the FBI attacked Cohen’s home and office. When Cohen began personal discussions with friends and family, he was considering working with New York special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors.
Cohen Convicted in August 2018 He taxed crimes, lied to Congress, and violated election funds. Among them was his role in coordinating payments to the two women so that they would not publicly talk about the alleged case with Trump.
Cohen after serving in prison for about a year Released under house arrest As part of an attempt to delay the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons. On social media, he counts the number of days before house arrest ends. As of Friday, he posted that he had nine people left.
Cohen’s proceedings said the company agreed to indemnify him for his company-related work as part of his work for Trump. The Trump Organization initially said it had fulfilled its promise and submitted a bill of more than $ 1.7 million for Cohen’s attorneys’ fees.
Cohen’s proceedings sought $ 1.9 million in legal fees and were ordered to confiscate $ 1.9 million as part of his sentence. He said this resulted from the actions taken at the request of the Trump Organization and its principals, directors and officers.
Cohen was Trump’s lawyer and one of the closest advisers for 10 years before the civilian split in 2018. I wrote a book that tells everything About working for Trump Host a weekly podcast where He and his guests regularly knock on the former president.
__
Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter. twitter.com/mikesisak