<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, a likely star witness in the criminal case facing the former US president in New York.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The suit, filed in a US District Court in Florida, seeks $500 million from Cohen over his alleged breach of attorney-client privileges and a confidentiality agreement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cohen was among the witnesses who testified before the grand jury that ultimately indicted Trump, making him the first former or sitting US president to face criminal charges.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cohen says he arranged the $130,000 payment in exchange for her silence about a tryst Daniels says she had with Trump in 2006.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Manhattan court on April 4.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his lawsuit, Trump accuses Cohen of "spreading falsehoods" about him and claimed to have suffered "vast reputational harm."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Such continuous and escalating improper conduct by (Cohen) has reached a proverbial crescendo and has left (Trump) with no alternative but to seek legal redress," the suit said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trump is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages of more than $500 million.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 76-year-old former real estate tycoon has been embroiled in scores of lawsuits over the past decades and has a long history of attacking his opponents in court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cohen, 56, is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution if the criminal case against Trump in Manhattan ever comes to trial.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He has acknowledged paying Daniels on Trump's behalf and was sentenced to three years in prison for various crimes, including the hush-money case and tax evasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a political "witch hunt" by the Manhattan district attorney, a Democrat, intended to derail his 2024 White House campaign. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>