Michael Cohen arrives at federal court in Manhattan on April 26. Photo Credit: David Handschuh/ALMMichael Cohen Donations Flood in After Lanny Davis Launches GoFundMe Campaign
Whether they advised him to admit to the government's allegations or not, Michael Cohen's guilty plea may have an immediate upside for his lawyers.
August 22, 2018 at 12:29 PM
2 minute read
Among all the ways Michael Cohen's guilty plea could be a game-changer, here's one more: Helping guarantee a paycheck for his lawyers.
Cohen, President Donald Trump's former longtime lawyer, admitted in court on Tuesday that he made illegal campaign payments to silence damaging information about then-candidate Trump before the 2016 election. Since then his lawyer Lanny Davis, a former special counsel to President Bill Clinton, has suggested Cohen is eager to tell the “rest of the story” and asked why the president shouldn't also be considered guilty.
Amid his client's plea hearing and his own media appearances Tuesday, Davis created a GoFundMe page, MichaelCohenTruthFund.com, to raise funds for Cohen's legal fees. In just 12 hours, more than 1,000 people had already pledged more than $40,000 towards a $500,000 goal. The funds were quickly rising at noon on Wednesday.
“Michael decided to put his family and his country first. Now Michael needs your financial help—to pay his legal fees,” reads the solicitation on the site. “The Michael Cohen truth fund is a transparent trust account, with all donations going to help Michael Cohen and his family as he goes forward on his journey to tell the truth about Donald Trump.”
In addition to Washington, D.C.-based, Davis, Cohen is represented by Guy Petrillo of New York's Petrillo Klein & Boxer. Petrillo and his partner Amy Lester appeared alongside Cohen at Tuesday's plea hearing in Manhattan federal court.
The fundraiser's early success is likely attributable in part to Davis plugging it on NBC's “Today” show and MSNBC's “Morning Joe” on Wednesday morning. Whether the fund reaches its goal remains to be seen, but a similar fundraiser for fired FBI agent Peter Strzok—who has been criticized by Trump and served as a hero for the president's political opponents—has collected more than $442,000 in just eight days.
In response to the news about Cohen, Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to share his evaluation of his former fixer.
“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don't retain the services of Michael Cohen!” Trump tweeted.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Holland & Knight, Akin, Crowell, Barnes and Day Pitney Add to DC Practices
3 minute read
'There Is No Time to Waste': Matt Gaetz Withdraws From AG Nomination
3 minute read
Read the Document: 'Google Must Divest Chrome,' DOJ Says, Proposing Remedies in Search Monopoly Case
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Trump's SEC Overhaul: What It Means for Big Law Capital Markets, Crypto Work
- 2Armstrong Teasdale's London Creditors Face Big Losses
- 3Texas Court Invalidates SEC’s Dealer Rule, Siding with Crypto Advocates
- 4Quinn Emanuel Has Thrived in China. Will Trump Help Boost Its Fortunes?
- 5Manufacturer Must Provide Details Surrounding Expert’s Livestreamed Inspection, Fed Court Rules
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
