David Geffen's Estranged Husband, Donovan Michaels, Sues Mogul for Breach of Contract
The suit, which was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, accuses Geffen, 82, of exploiting a 'vulnerable, marginalized young gay Black man' as a 'wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable.'
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The Hollywood Reporter reported in May that Geffen filed for divorce from Michaels, 32, after less than two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The mogul tied the knot with Michaels, a former go-go dancer whose real name is David Armstrong, in 2023 in a private Beverly Hills ceremony. While the pair kept their relationship private, details surrounding their relationship have now been revealed in Michaels' suit.
The complaint states that the pair met on the dating website, SeekingArrangements.com. It also accuses Geffen of paying Michaels $10,000 for sex the night that they met, and, 'like the plot of the movie Trading Places, began treating Michaels as a living social experiment — a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence.'
According to the suit, Geffen knew about Michaels' troubled past — as he grew up in the foster care system — but 'rather than respond with empathy or offer genuine support, Geffen saw Michaels as an object of exploitation.'
Over time, the duo's paid sexual relationship developed into a partnership, the lawsuit states, as 'Geffen told Michaels he loved him and the two would treat one another as life partners, share all assets equally, and Geffen would support Michaels financially for life. Michaels gave up his dreams — his modeling career, his independence — to dedicate himself fully to this promise.'
Geffen and Michaels got married in 2023 with no prenup, according to the complaint, but 'what Michaels did not know at the time was that this was nothing more than a transaction to Geffen.'
Throughout their marriage, the mogul allegedly 'critiqued every aspect of Michaels' appearance and carefully controlled Michaels with respect to all aspects of his body hygiene,' requiring him to get 'painful laser treatments and dental treatments.' The suit also states that Michaels was met with 'back-handed insults and put-downs' about his 'past and lack of sophistication.'
In the complaint, Geffen is also accused of demeaning 'sexual access at will, including acts Michaels found degrading.' He also allegedly supplied Michaels with drugs and alcohol as 'tools of coercion — lowering his resistance and increasing his dependency.' This led Michaels to seek treatment after suffering from addiction.
Following treatment, Michaels claims he tried to make amends with Geffen, but that he 'did not want a healthier Michaels. He wanted control and submission. He wanted to be the savior, the white knight, and the 'top.''
After Geffen filed for divorce in April 2025, the suit alleges Geffen 'almost immediately breached the oral agreements by denying Michaels full financial support.' A few months later, in June 2025, the lawsuit states that 'while Geffen was hosting his super-wealthy celebrity friends on his superyacht in Venice, Italy, preparing to attend the Bezos [Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez] wedding, he demanded that Michaels immediately vacate the New York residence, which would effectively render Michaels homeless.'
'In addition to evicting Michaels, Geffen also cut him off from his status quo financial support, making it impossible for Michaels to secure an appropriate living situation and provide for his daily necessities,' according to the complaint.
THR reached out to Geffen's attorney for comment.
Geffen, who has a net worth over $9.1 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, landed at No. 371 on the list of the world's wealthiest people as of July 22.
The mogul also co-founded the label Asylum Records in 1971 before later founding Geffen Records and DGC Records. His motion picture company, Geffen Pictures, also produced a handful of films and TV shows, including Personal Best, Beetlejuice, Interview with the Vampire and Little Shop of Horrors.
Then in 1994, he co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, before DreamWorks Animation spun off to form a publicly traded company a decade later.
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