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- Melinda Gates' divorce attorney Robert Cohen has joined a new legal battle.
- The case involves a divorce between Connecticut's Sen. and her Morgan Stanley executive husband.
- Cohen has previously represented the first two wives of former President Donald Trump.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
A divorce attorney hired by Melinda French Gates has also been snapped up by Connecticut's state Sen. Alex Kasser, according to CNBC. It follows Kasser's separation from Seth Bergstein, a Morgan Stanley executive.
Robert Cohen, the divorce attorney, previously represented ex-President Donald Trump's first two wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. He works as a founding partner at the New York City firm Cohen Clair Lans Greifer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP, as Insider reported.
Morgan Stanley employees are likely to going to be drawn into the saga, following a ruling that allowed Kasser's lawyers to interrogate three staffers under oath. The decision relates to what they see as the bank's illegitimate efforts to get personal financial information from Kasser even as Bergstein, continues to work there, as CNBC reports.
Many accusations in that row have sprung from a bitter case that was filed more than two years ago when Kasser split from Bergstein, per CNBC.
Commenting on Cohen's expertise, Marilyn Chinitz, whose own matrimonial clientele included actors like Tom Cruise and Michael Douglas, told CNBC: "He's a fantastic lawyer." She also described him as "talented and aggressive."
French Gates, meanwhile, is apparently winning the public opinion battle, as Insider reported.
Following the announcement that the couple were ending their 27-year marriage "after a great deal of thought," many media reports have raised questions about Bill Gates' workplace conduct.
In one case, several unnamed Microsoft employees told The New York Times Gates' behavior made them feel uncomfortable at work.
Insider reported that Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has addressed the issue, by saying that the "Microsoft of 2021 is very different from the Microsoft of 2000."
In the same report, a spokesperson for Bill Gates said in a statement that allegations the billionaire mistreated employees were false, and that he had an affair 20 years ago that ended amicably. The spokesperson did not say whether the affair was with a Microsoft employee.