Key Takeaways:

• Trump must pay over $820,000 in legal fees to Orbis Business Intelligence.
• The lawsuit was dismissed by a UK judge, ruling it had no prospects of success.
• Trump denied all allegations related to the controversial Steele dossier.

A British judge has ordered U.S. President Donald Trump to pay more than £625,000 (approximately $820,000) in legal costs to Orbis Business Intelligence, the firm he unsuccessfully sued over claims stemming from the Steele dossier. The case, filed by Trump in 2022, alleged violations of UK data protection laws and claimed personal reputation harm resulting from the dossier's contents. The dossier, published by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, suggested that Trump had been “compromised” by Russian security, intertwined with scandalous claims regarding “sex parties” in St. Petersburg and interactions with sex workers in Moscow, as reported by LA Times.

Judge Karen Steyn dismissed the lawsuit in February 2024, stating there were “no compelling reasons” to proceed, as Trump had delayed initiating the case for several years. Steyn's ruling did not address the authenticity of the allegations but deemed the lawsuit "bound to fail." Trump's legal team, opposing the ruling, described the claims in the dossier as “shocking and scandalous,” alleging they significantly tarnished his reputation. Following Trump's failure to pay an initial installment of £290,000, Judge Jason Rowley mandated payment of £626,058.98, accruing interest at a daily rate of 12%, according to The Hill. Despite Trump’s persistent denials of the allegations, which he labeled as "wholly untrue," the legal proceedings concluded with an expected financial burden. The former president has argued that the fees demanded have been set "absolutely outrageously high," as cited in India Times.