Trump Ordered to Pay $821K in Steele Dossier Lawsuit, UK Court Says

• Trump filed a lawsuit against Orbis last year.
• However, the court dismissed Trump’s case.
• Trump was ordered to cover Orbis’ legal expenses but did not fulfill this requirement.

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay over £626,000 (approximately $821,500) in legal expenses to a private investigation firm he attempted to sue over a dossier that claimed connections between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, as decided by a London judge on Thursday.

Last year, Trump initiated a data protection lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence (OBI) concerning allegations made in a dossier authored by its co-founder, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. However, the court rejected Trump’s lawsuit.

The so-called Steele dossier included allegations of interactions between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, among other scandalous claims, which Trump vehemently refuted.

Previously, Trump had been instructed to pay roughly £290,000 toward Orbis’ legal fees but failed to do so, as revealed by Orbis’ lawyers during a January hearing.

This default meant Trump could not have legal representation at a hearing this week, which was convened to evaluate the total legal costs incurred by Orbis and determine their appropriateness.

Paul Arter, a costs lawyer representing Orbis, indicated that Trump had impressive negotiation skills and was reportedly compensating one of his lawyers £750 an hour.

Furthermore, Arter noted that this case was crucial for both parties—Orbis was worried about its viability if it lost, while Trump was aiming to safeguard his public image.

Given that they were up against a well-known “aggressive litigator” with a reputation for pursuing legal vendettas, the high rates Orbis was paying for its legal team were justified, Arter remarked.

Judge Jason Rowley concluded that Trump owed Orbis £530,615, which was less than the over £680,000 Orbis had requested but greater than the £452,000 that Orbis had been willing to accept.

Additionally, the judge stated that Trump needed to pay an extra £95,000 related to the dispute over costs, bringing the total to just over £626,000.