David Geffen has been sued by his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, who says that the billionaire film producer preyed on his vulnerabilities as a young gay Black man from the foster system and trapped him in a manipulative and abusive relationship.
Geffen, 82, and Michaels, 32, met in 2016 on SeekingArrangements.com, a dating site where affluent individuals often seek relations with younger singles in return for some form of compensation, according to the complaint. On the night they met, the media mogul allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 to have sex with him.
The pair continued their relationship and married in 2023, minus a prenup, according to the complaint. In May of this year, Geffen filed for divorce.
Now Michaels, whose legal name is David Armstrong, is suing Geffen for breach of contract, saying that the billionaire promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and homeless. The lawsuit compares their relationship to the plot of the movie “Trading Places,” saying Geffen used Michaels as a trophy to show off to his rich and famous friends.
“It was a sick game,” the complaint states. “Michaels became a prop in Geffen’s theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen’s supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity.”
Geffen’s attorney Patty Glaser pushed back on Michaels’ allegations.
“There was no contract — express, written, oral, or implied — that has ever existed,” she said in a statement to The Times. “We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.”
The 33-page complaint is packed with explosive claims about the exploits of the richest man in the entertainment industry.
Geffen has an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion, according to Forbes. He amassed his wealth as a music and movie producer, signing major artists including the Eagles and Joni Mitchell and co-founding Dreamworks Pictures, which has produced iconic movies such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Shrek.”
Michaels entered the Michigan foster-care system at 18 months old and grew up in various foster and group homes where he regularly experienced physical and emotional abuse, according to the complaint. He moved to Florida at 19 and relied on exotic dancing and X-rated videos to get by financially.
The lawsuit claims that Geffen expected Michaels to use drugs such as cocaine and molly alongside Geffen’s friends on the billionaire’s 450-foot superyacht the Rising Sun.
The complaint alleges that Geffen enjoyed physically dominating his sexual partners and causing them pain. This type of sexual behavior triggered Michaels’ childhood trauma and caused him digestive issues, headaches and the need to isolate, according to the complaint.
The suit further alleges that the billionaire “critiqued every aspect of Michaels’ appearance,” and that the mere existence of an ingrown hair would raise Geffen’s ire. The media mogul allegedly told Michaels “where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and what to say” and required him to submit to extensive painful cosmetic treatments.
In addition, Geffen allegedly prevented Michaels from continuing to pursue his modeling career, saying he needed to be constantly available.
Michaels says he began reevaluating his life and relationship after entering addiction treatment earlier this year. He then approached his husband and said he “wanted a new beginning wherein he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geffen as an equal free from power dynamics that existed.”
According to the complaint, Geffen then cut Michaels off, demanded a divorce and denied Michaels financial support “commensurate with his lifestyle” and his share of assets acquired during their cohabitation. While the media mogul was attending fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding in Italy last month, he ordered Michaels to vacate his New York residence, the complaint alleges.
Michaels is seeking compensatory damages and a judicial determination of his rights under an alleged oral agreement made with Geffen. His attorneys argue that this should entitle him to having his living expenses covered for the rest of his life and an equal division of all properties subject to the agreement.
“While Geffen holds himself out to the public as an extraordinarily charitable man whose foundation gives millions and millions of dollars to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged populations,” the complaint states, “he is simultaneously endeavoring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless.”
