Former US President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay the six-figure legal costs of the company he sued over allegations in the Steele dossier.
Trump had brought legal action against Orbis Business Intelligence, founded by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, over claims in the dossier that he took part in “perverted” sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials.
The High Court in London threw out Trump’s case last year, with Mrs Justice Steyn ruling that his compensation claim was “bound to fail.”
Donald Trump (Credits: India Today)
She also ordered Trump to pay Orbis’s estimated legal costs, which amount to more than £600,000. Trump has been instructed to pay £300,000 upfront, with the total costs to be decided by a specialist judge.
The Steele dossier, which contained denied allegations about Trump’s activities in Russia, was produced by Orbis in 2016 and leaked to BuzzFeed in 2017.
Trump’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson KC, described the allegations in the dossier as “egregiously inaccurate,” including claims that Trump had engaged in “sex parties” in St Petersburg and “golden showers” with prostitutes in Moscow. The dossier also alleged that Trump had “defiled” a bed previously used by former President Barack Obama and his wife.
Mrs Justice Steyn dismissed Trump’s claim, stating that the mere fact that Orbis had copies of the memos could not cause Trump distress. Trump has made no attempt to bring an appeal against the ruling.
