David Geffen’s estranged husband has filed an explosive lawsuit accusing the legendary music mogul of exploiting, controlling and abusing him.
Donovan Michaels, a 32-year-old model and former go-go dancer, accused the multibillionaire of treating him like “a living social experiment—a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence,” Variety reported.
In his lawsuit—which was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court—Michaels alleges that Geffen, 82, got his much-younger partner addicted to illegal drugs, which he used as “tools of coercion” to lower Michaels’ resistance and increase his dependency.
The complaint alleges that Geffen critiqued and controlled Michaels’ appearance and demanded “sexual access at will, including acts Michaels found degrading,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It also sheds light on the deeply private nine-year relationship between Michaels, whose legal name is David Armstrong, and Geffen, who is worth an estimated $9 billion thanks to his music and film ventures, including Geffen Records, Geffen Pictures, and DreamWorks SKG.
According to the suit, the couple met on Seekingarrangements.com, a website that bills itself as a place where “accomplished individuals can make exceptional connections and find hypergamy”—also known as marrying up.
On their first night together, Geffen paid Michaels $10,000 for sex, according to the lawsuit. He then began to learn more about Michaels’ background, including that he was orphaned and placed in the foster care system as an 18-month-old toddler.
The suit alleges that after learning about Michaels’ “troubled past” and his “history of neglect, poverty, instability, and legal entanglements,” Geffen saw Michaels as “an object of exploitation: a young, attractive and gay black man whose trauma could be weaponized for Geffen’s personal gratification and public image.”
Over time, their paid sexual relationship evolved into a partnership, according to the complaint.
“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,” the complaint says. “Michaels gave up his dreams—his modeling career, his independence—to dedicate himself fully to this promise.”
When the couple married in a private ceremony in 2023 without a prenuptial agreement, the gesture “reinforced Michaels’ belief that the relationship was genuine and enduring,” the suit says.
But Geffen was demeaning and controlling, according to the suit, which briefly references Geffen’s “abuse” and his “proclivities.” Sources told Variety that Michaels’ lawyers held back some of the more salacious allegations.
The Daily Beast has reached out to lawyers for Geffen and Michaels for comment. They’re being repped by celebrity divorce attorneys Laura Wasser and Samantha Spector, respectively.
Tuesday’s lawsuit was brought by Bryan Freedman, who has his own roster of A-list clients, including the creators of “South Park,” Justin Baldoni, and Lyle and Erik Menendez’s family members, Variety reported.
The complaint described how Geffen allegedly controlled every aspect of Michaels’ appearance, forcing him to undergo painful dental work and laser hair-removal treatments, and “cultivated Michaels’ insecurity and self-doubt” with back-handed insults about his past and lack of sophistication.
Geffen also allegedly expected Michaels to do illegal drugs—including cocaine, molly and weed—with him and his friends. The former go-go dancer’s traumatic past was “an emotional ticking time” bomb, according to the complaint, and Michaels ended up seeking treatment for drug addiction.
Afterward, he tried to make amends with Geffen, whom he claims “did not want a healthier Michaels.”
“He wanted control and submission. He wanted to be the savior, the white knight, and the ‘top,’” the suit alleges.
After he filed for divorce, Geffen “almost immediately” broke his oral agreement to provide Michaels with full financial support, according to the suit, which alleges breach of contract.
Oral contracts are generally binding under California law, with certain exceptions. Most long-term contracts need to be in writing, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.
In any case, in late June, Geffen was in Venice for the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. There, he hosted his wealthy A-list friends on his superyacht Rising Sun and partied “with the other .0001% of the wealthiest people on the planet.”
At the same time, he demanded that Michaels immediately vacate their New York home, “endeavoring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless.”
The move was all the more striking given “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 suit claims.
Under California law, Michaels is entitled to receive spousal support for half the length of the marriage, or one year, TMZ previously reported.
Normally without a prenup he would also be entitled to a portion of Geffen’s earnings during the time they were married. But since retiring 15 years ago, Geffen has only received income from gains on stocks and equities. That income is out of bounds for the divorce, according to TMZ.
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