Staff Reports
In a stunning defeat for Michael Cohen, a New York appeals court rejected his appeal in his quest to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for his imprisonment. Cohen, who was convicted in 2018 on charges of campaign finance violations and tax crimes, served only one year of his three-year sentence before being released early in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal Judge Slaps Down Michael Cohen's Attempt to Sue Trump https://t.co/kRhFT4Woq2
— IJR (@TheIJR) January 3, 2024
Cohen had claimed that his imprisonment was a result of retaliation from Trump, as he was writing a tell-all book about his former boss. However, his attempt to sue Trump was dismissed, and his subsequent appeal was also rejected by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.
The judges sided with a lower court ruling that stated existing laws do not allow for a damages remedy for claims of retaliation against a president. This decision marks the end of the road for Cohen’s case, much to the delight of Trump’s legal team.
Alina Habba, one of Trump’s current attorneys, expressed satisfaction with the ruling and vowed to continue fighting against any “frivolous suit” aimed at their client. Cohen, who once served as Trump’s “fixer” and had a prominent role in Trump’s business dealings, has been a vocal critic of the former president since his release.
In recent years, Cohen has made regular appearances on CNN, where he has consistently lambasted Trump as a threat to democracy. His memoir, released in 2020, claimed that government officials had attempted to block its publication, adding to the intrigue surrounding his relationship with Trump.
Trump, in turn, has dismissed Cohen as a “proven liar” and a “felon.” The ongoing animosity between the two figures continues to play out in the public eye, with Cohen’s legal setbacks serving as a significant blow to his efforts to hold Trump accountable.
