In recent occurrences, Donald Trump filed a
notice of voluntary dismissal in his defamation case against ex-lawyer Michael Cohen. The lawsuit centers around an alleged breach of contract and New York Rules of Professional Conduct and claims damages exceeding half a billion dollars, born from Cohen’s declarations on his podcast. However, the case was not even assigned to Trump’s preferred judge – an unexpected twist that led to an unanticipated dismissal.
The case was assigned to Judge Darrin Gayles, an Obama appointee, causing Trump to withdraw abruptly and promise to refile in the future. While proceedings were afoot, Trump was scheduled to testify twice in New York. However, he sidestepped both appointments, moving proceedings back to square one. Rather than proceed with the case, Trump took to
Truth Social to air his grievances on New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump insists that once he is done fighting his numerous battles, he will renew his claims against Cohen.
As if one dropped case wasn’t enough, Trump also discontinued an additional
lawsuit he filed against New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron. The lawsuit was originally filed out of desperation to delay an impending civil fraud trial. He contended that the trial needed to be pushed back due to court’s failure to rule promptly on a statute of limitations issue. However, Justice Engoron denied the postponement and reinstated that Trump’s company had often submitted fraudulent financial statements, leading to an order cancelling its business licenses. The said trial has been noted for its tumultuous proceedings as covered by
The Daily Beast.
On a brighter note for the former president, he received a temporary
stay on the cancellation of his business licenses – an event that provides a slight relief in an otherwise challenging week.
Further details on the same can be found on
Above the Law.