Case Intel
- Michaels’ lawsuit frames the dispute as a Marvin action seeking lifelong support and shared assets; Geffen calls it “petty gossip and salacious lies.”
- No prenup was signed before the 2023 wedding, heightening stakes over support and property claims.
- Geffen’s response says Michaels is living rent-free in a New York apartment and receiving voluntary monthly support payments.
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
LOS ANGELES, CA – A Hollywood-scale breakup is now a high-stakes legal fight. Entertainment mogul David Geffen, 82, has asked a Los Angeles judge to toss his estranged husband’s breach-of-contract suit—branding the claims “a work of fiction” and “petty gossip and salacious lies”—as Donovan Michaels (legal name David Armstrong), 32, presses a parallel Marvin action for lifelong financial support and shared assets.
How we got here
Geffen filed for divorce in May after a short marriage that began in March 2023. Geffen’s Petition for Dissolution of Marriage did not reference a prenuptial agreement—a fact that instantly raised the temperature on support and property issues.
Michaels’ civil complaint paints a sweeping narrative: that Geffen targeted a “young vulnerable Black man” and promised lifelong support and ownership interests while allegedly controlling his appearance and access, and encouraging drug use. Geffen denies the allegations and says there is no evidence—estate plan or otherwise—of any promise to convey property or provide lifetime support.
