Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been instructed to bear the substantial legal costs incurred by Orbis Business Intelligence, the firm he had taken to court. The lawsuit, which centered around allegations of “perverted” sexual acts and Russian bribes, was dismissed by Mrs. Justice Steyn last month, who deemed Trump’s compensation claim as “bound to fail”.
The High Court’s decision to order Trump to cover Orbis’s legal expenses adds another layer to the ongoing saga between the former president and the intelligence firm founded by ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele.
Steele once claimed that he had a very controversial dossier that included unverified claims against Donald Trump. The so-called Steele dossier, which surfaced before the latter’s election victory in 2016, contained explosive allegations, including that Trump had engaged in “golden showers” with prostitutes in Moscow and had “defiled” a bed previously used by Barack Obama.
These claims, which Trump has vehemently denied, were part of the memos produced by Orbis and later published by BuzzFeed in 2017.
Mrs. Justice Steyn’s ruling not only dismissed the case but also emphasized that the mere possession of the memos by Orbis could not have caused the former president’s distress. The judge has ordered an initial payment of £300,000 by Trump, pending a final decision on the total costs by a specialist judge. Orbis estimated that it may amount to a sum larger than £600,000.
Orbis welcomed the ruling, stating that the lawsuit was an attempt by Trump to seek revenge and stifle free speech.
As Donald Trump gears up for another presidential run, with his last remaining Republican rival Nikki Haley having withdrawn from the race, this legal defeat will present a challenging backdrop.
