Trump ‘decided not to pay’ legal fees of company sued over dossier allegations
Trump ‘decided not to pay’ legal fees of company sued over dossier allegations
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US President Donald Trump “decided not to pay” around £300,000 to a company he unsuccessfully sued over denied allegations he took part in “perverted” sex acts, a judge has said. Mr Trump, who was inaugurated for his second term as President earlier this month, brought a data protection claim against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consultancy founded by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele in 2022.
Mr Steele authored the so-called Steele dossier, which included allegations, denied by Mr Trump, that he had been “compromised” by the Russian security service, the FSB, and also included two memos that claimed he had taken part in “sex parties” while in St Petersburg and engaged in “golden showers” with prostitutes in Moscow.
But Mrs Justice Steyn threw out the claim last February and ordered Mr Trump to pay Orbis’ costs “of the entire claim”, including an initial payment of £290,000 ahead of the full amount being determined later. On Wednesday, barristers for Orbis told a hearing that Mr Trump was yet to pay the sum, despite him being ordered to pay by the end of March last year.
Costs Judge Jason Rowley ordered Mr Trump to pay the money within 28 days or risk not being able to make representations at a future hearing where the full amount to be paid will be decided, with the President facing a legal bill of more than £600,000.
He said: “I have no evidence to suggest the claimant cannot pay this particular sum, but has decided not to pay.”. He continued: “The claimant is a well-known person but frankly, he dealt with this case by not making a payment that the court has previously ordered over a considerable period of time.”.
