David Geffen was sued by her estranged husband, Donovan Michaels. He says the billionaire film producer preyed on his vulnerability as a young gay black man in the village system, locking him in a manipulative, abusive relationship.
Geffen, 82, and Michaels, 32, met in 2016 at SeekingArrangements.com. This states that rich individuals often seek relationships with younger singles in exchange for some form of compensation. The night they met, the media mogul allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 to have sex with him.
According to the complaints, the two continued their relationship and married in 2023, minus pre-up. In May of this year, Geffen filed for divorce.
Michaels, now David Armstrong, is suing Geffen for breach of contract, saying that the billionaire has promised to take care of him, but has broken him and brought him closer to homelessness. The lawsuit compares their relationship with a plot in the film “Trading Place,” and says Geffen uses Michaels as a trophy to show off his rich and famous friends.
“It was a sick game,” the complaint states. “Michaels became a prop for Geffen’s virtue theatre, paraded as evidence of Geffen’s altruism and was used personally as a sexual item.”
Geffen’s attorney Patty Glaser pushed back Michaels’ allegations.
“There were no contracts, representations, written, verbally or implied contracts that had existed before,” she said in a statement to the Times. “We will be fiercely and legitimately defending this false and pathetic lawsuit.”
The 33-page complaint is packed with explosive claims about the exploits of the wealthiest men in the entertainment industry.
According to Forbes, Geffen’s estimated net worth is $8.8 billion. He accumulated wealth as a music and film producer, signing photos of major artists such as the Eagles and Joni Mitchell, as well as co-founders of DreamWorks Pictures, who produced iconic films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Shrek.”
Michaels entered the Michigan foster care system at 18 months and grew up in various foster parents and groups homes, where he regularly experienced physical and emotional abuse, according to the complaint. He moved to Florida at the age of 19 and was financially gained by relying on exotic dance and X-rate videos.
The lawsuit alleges that Geffen expects Michaels to use drugs such as Cocaine and Molly along with Geffen’s friends on the billionaire’s 450-foot superyacht The Rising Sun.
The complaints allege that Geffen enjoyed physically controlling her sexual partners and causing them pain. This type of sexual behavior caused Michaels’ childhood trauma, causing him digestive problems, headaches and the need to isolate.
The lawsuit further argues that the billionaire “criticized every aspect of Michaels’ appearance,” and that the mere presence of bulging hair would raise Geffen’s rage. The media mogul reportedly told Michaels, “where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, what to say,” and he had to submit to a widespread, painful cosmetic surgery.
Furthermore, Geffen is said to have prevented Michaels from continuing to pursue a career in modeling.
Michaels says he began reassessing his life and relationships after receiving addiction treatment earlier this year. He then approached her husband and said, “I wanted a new beginning that allowed me to shoulder shoulders with Geffen, as I was equally free from the dynamics of forces that existed.”
According to the complaint, Geffen separated Michaels, demanded divorce and denied the share of the assets he acquired while living with Michaels, saying that he “compromised his lifestyle.” While the media mogul attended the wedding of billionaires Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Italy last month, he ordered Michaels to vacate his New York residence, the complaint alleges.
Michaels is seeking compensatory damages and judicial decisions on his rights under the alleged oral agreement with Geffen. His lawyers argue that this should allow him to pay for the rest of his life and give him an equal division of all the property covered by the contract.
“Although Geffen is open to the public as an extraordinary charity that has given a million-dollar basis to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged groups,” the complaint states.
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