Trump Ordered to Pay $820K in Failed UK Dossier Lawsuit

Published APR 4 2025

Story

Above: Ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in London, on Oct. 16, 2023. Image credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Facts

Donald Trump has been ordered by a British judge to pay £626,058.98 (approximately $820K) in legal costs to Orbis Business Intelligence after, unsuccessfully suing the company over the controversial Steele dossier in 2022.
The Times of India
LBC
The lawsuit centered on a dossier compiled in 2016 by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which contained allegations about Trump's connections to Russia and claimed he had participated in compromising activities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Los Angeles Times
Breitbart
Judge Karen Steyn dismissed Trump's data protection claim in February 2024 without ruling on the truth of the allegations, stating the case was 'bound to fail' partly due to the significant delay in bringing the action.
ap
guardian
Breitbart
Trump failed to pay an initial court-ordered installment of £290K, which resulted in him being barred from participating in a subsequent three-day hearing to determine the total legal costs.
Reuters
Fortune Europe
guardian
Judge Jason Rowley determined that the final amount was "both reasonable and proportionate," with interest accruing daily at 12%, settling between Orbis's initial request of £680K and their offer of £452,000.
Reuters
The Straits Times
The Washington Post
The Steele dossier, which was paid for by Democrats and published by BuzzFeed in 2017 without Orbis's permission, contained numerous allegations that were never substantiated and have since been largely discredited.
guardian
New York Post

Sources Split

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The Spin

Anti-Trump narrative

These legal fees are justified given Trump's reputation as an aggressive litigator with a history of pursuing legal vendettas, and the case represented a significant threat to Orbis's survival as a company. The high costs reflect the necessary legal preparation required to defend against a powerful opponent willing to spend 750 pounds per hour on his own lawyers.

The Washington Post

Pro-Trump narrative

Trump's lawsuit aimed to prove what we now know to be the reality; that the dossier contained egregiously inaccurate and phony allegations that caused significant harm to the president's reputation. The legal fees demanded by Orbis were outrageously high, and the dossier itself contained unsubstantiated claims that have since been largely discredited.