The most popular Florida politician and Republican Party front-runner for the presidential nomination, Donald Trump, has won several legal battles in recent weeks in what appears to be a positive streak of winnings. According to several reports, the former U.S. president and most probably the Republican Party presidential candidate spent more than $50 million on legal fees over the course of 2023, as Trump’s legal troubles intensified in the face of 91 felony counts across four criminal cases.
Despite the fact that many believed that Trump by now should have been in prison, his recent positive outcomes in tens of legal battles in which he is involved most certainly surprised even the most optimistic legal experts, including his own legal team. However, on Thursday, a judge ruled in favor of Trump’s opponent, and the former U.S. President lost one legal battle that was started by himself.
Trump’s lost case he started
A British High Court judge in London dismissed a privacy lawsuit that former President Donald Trump had filed against Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, and his consulting company. Concerning the 2017 “Steele dossier,” a document created by Steele, a former MI6 agent, it contained shocking and unproven claims about Trump, who is currently leading the Republican primary race for 2024.
Due to its “shocking and scandalous claims,” the dossier was used by the FBI in its investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. Trump’s lawyers said that the dossier broke data protection laws and did a lot of damage to Trump’s personal and professional reputation.
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The judge said there were “no compelling reasons” the case to go proceed to trial
But British Judge Karen Steyn said there were “no compelling reasons” for the case to go to trial. This meant that Trump’s legal challenge in the UK was over. Judge Steyn’s ruling wasn’t based on how accurate the allegations in the Steele dossier were, but on how the case should have been handled.
She pointed out that Trump had been waiting to go to court since January 2017, when he learned about the dossier. She further commented that Trump’s request for money or losses was destined to fail. Steele’s company, Orbis Business Intelligence, and the lawyers were relieved and happy with the decision. They said that the case should never have been brought in the first place.
“Mr Trump has already been criticised by U.S. courts for pursuing vexatious litigation against us,” the company said in a statement. “And we feel strongly that Mr Trump also brought this claim in an attempt to exact revenge on Orbis and to chill free speech and legitimate investigations.”
Trump’s team unhappy with the decision
Trump’s legal team, obviously, was not happy with the ruling.
“The high court in London has found that there was not even an attempt by Christopher Steele, or his group, to justify or try to prove, which they absolutely cannot, their false and defamatory allegations in the fake ‘dossier’,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to media.
“The high court also found that there was processing, utilisation, of those false statements. President Trump will continue to fight for the truth and against falsehoods such as ones promulgated by Steele and his cohorts,” they added.
