David Geffen’s estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, filed a lawsuit against the Hollywood mogul on Tuesday, claiming Geffen “paraded” him around as a charity case while he was “privately used as a sexual commodity.”
Michaels, an exotic dancer whose legal name is David Armstrong, is 50 years younger than the 82-year-old Geffen. The duo married in 2023 with no prenuptial agreement, but Geffen filed for divorce in May.
“Geffen saw Michaels as an object of exploitation: a young, attractive and gay Black man whose trauma could be weaponized for Geffen’s personal gratification and public image,” the lawsuit reads, according to Variety.
Michaels had been in the foster care system since he was 18 months old. According to the suit, he met Geffen on SeekingArrangements.com, a dating site that often paired older and wealthy users with younger partners looking for a transactional relationship.
The suit claims Geffen paid Michaels $10,000 for sex on their first date, TMZ reported. As the duo grew closer, Geffen began demanding control over every aspect of Michaels’ life, from the words he spoke to the clothes he wore, the lawsuit states.
At the financial crux of the suit is a claim that Geffen promised to support Michaels financially for life, an allegation that was denied by Geffen’s lawyers along with other statements throughout the suit.
“There was no contract — express, written, oral or implied — that has ever existed,” Geffen’s attorney Patty Glaser told Billboard. “We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.”
The suit claims Geffen and Michaels’ relationship deteriorated further during Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding in late June, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While Geffen was partying on a yacht in Europe, he ordered Michaels to vacate the New York residence they had previously shared, effectively rendering him homeless, according to the lawsuit.
Geffen first made his fortune in music, founding a series of immensely successful record labels. He later started the Dreamworks film studio alongside Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. His net worth has been estimated at $8.7 billion.
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