A judge in London has dismissed a lawsuit brought by former U.S. President Donald Trump against former British spy, Christopher Steele. Trump claimed that Steele had made false and damaging claims that harmed his reputation.
Judge Karen Steyn stated that there were no compelling reasons for the case to proceed to trial, effectively throwing out Trump’s claims.
This ruling comes at a crucial time for Trump, as he is currently the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. However, he continues to face legal challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
In his lawsuit, Trump had sued Orbis Business Intelligence, the company founded by Steele. Steele is best known for creating a dossier in 2016 that contained unverified allegations, which caused a political uproar just before Trump’s presidential inauguration. Trump has consistently described the dossier as fake news and a political witch hunt.
One of Trump’s main arguments was that Orbis had violated British data protection laws, thus seeking damages against the company.
During a hearing in October, Trump’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson, argued that the former president had suffered personal and reputational damage as a result of his data protection rights being violated.
Steele, who previously served as the head of the Russia desk for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), was commissioned by Democrats to gather research, which included provocative allegations that Russians could potentially exploit to blackmail Trump.
Trump Denies Allegations in Dossier
President Trump has vehemently denied allegations made in the dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer. The dossier contained claims about Trump’s personal conduct and accused him of paying bribes to Russian officials to advance his business interests. In a witness statement, Trump stated that the allegations were “wholly untrue.” He denied engaging in any form of sexual behavior, bribing officials, or attempting to silence witnesses.
Lawsuit Against Orbis
Orbis, the company founded by Steele, argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed as the dossier was never intended for public release and was published without their permission by BuzzFeed. They also claimed that the lawsuit was filed too late. The judge acknowledged that Trump had waited several years before attempting to protect his reputation in court.
Case Dismissed
In conclusion, Trump firmly denies the claims made in the dossier. The legal battle surrounding these allegations has ended with the case being dismissed.
