Cohen was one of the witnesses who testified before a so-called grand jury in the case of hush money payments to former porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in March. The lay panel in New York voted in late March to indict Trump in the case. Trump became the first ex-president in US history to face impeachment.
Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Cohen paid $130,000 in hush money to Daniels, with whom Trump allegedly had sex in 2006. The hush money payment itself is not illegal. However, the repayment of the money to Cohen by Trump’s real estate empire was incorrectly booked as legal fees in numerous tranches. Trump pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court in early April.
The lawsuit now filed accuses Cohen of “continued and escalating improper conduct.” It said he left the former president “no alternative” to suing for legal redress.
