When Donald Trump recently posted a $175 million bond in New York, it was revealed that the insurer providing the bond, billionaire Don Hankey, had never met or spoken with the former president before. Hankey did acknowledge backing Trump politically and was the largest shareholder in Axos Financial, the parent company of a bank that bailed out Trump twice by helping him refinance his mortgages. Additionally, attorney Keith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in hush-money payment cases in 2016, took the stand as a witness for the prosecution in Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
Davidson was alleged to have colluded with Trump attorney Michael Cohen to keep Daniels and McDougal quiet during the election. In a lawsuit against Davidson and Cohen, Daniels claimed that Davidson breached his obligations as an attorney by working with Cohen to benefit Trump. McDougal made similar allegations against Davidson, accusing him of working closely with representatives of Trump while pretending to advocate on her behalf. Despite his former clients’ accusations, Davidson seemed displeased with Trump’s election victory, as he sent a text on election night to an editor at the National Enquirer saying, “What have we done?”
In 2020, Davidson entered Hankey’s orbit when he filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of three Jane Does against Hankey’s son, Don Rufus Hankey, accusing him of sexual assault, false imprisonment, and forced sex acts. Hankey, initially unaware of the lawsuit, stated his son left the family company over ten years ago, and they only interact once every two years. Hankey expressed surprise and disappointment at the case and remarked on the implications of doing business with Trump. Hankey’s son denied the allegations, counter-suing the plaintiffs for extortion, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
After two-and-a-half years of proceedings, two of the Jane Does reached a stipulated judgment with Hankey, resolving all allegations without any monetary transactions. Jane Doe No. 1 continued to pursue her claims without an attorney after Davidson filed a motion to quit the case following the settlement. The judge denied Rufus Hankey’s motions for a summary judgment, and a trial is scheduled to begin without Davidson’s involvement. Davidson’s history of representing clients in sexual assault, STD transmission, and negligence cases, including celebrities like Daniels and McDougal, may raise questions about his credibility as a witness.
Davidson faced previous legal challenges, as his law license was suspended for 90 days in 2010 for failing to appear at pre-trial hearings and file necessary motions, leading to the dismissal of his clients’ medical malpractice suit. Hulk Hogan also sued Davidson in 2017, alleging attempted extortion over a sex tape. These instances, alongside Davidson’s involvement in high-profile cases like Sheen’s and Daniels’, may impact his credibility as a witness in Trump’s criminal trial. Despite the controversies surrounding Davidson, the overlapping relationships between billionaires like Hankey and their legal representatives continue to raise questions about the intersection of politics, finance, and legal ethics.
