A British court has ordered Donald Trump to pay over $820,000 after tossing out his lawsuit against the ex-MI6 spy behind the salacious Steele dossier.
AT A GLANCE
- A UK High Court ordered Trump to pay £625,000 ($820,000) in legal fees to Orbis Business Intelligence.
- Trump sued over the Steele dossier’s claims of Russian blackmail and sex parties, alleging data law violations.
- Judge Karen Steyn dismissed the case in February 2024, citing excessive delays in filing.
- The ruling did not address the truthfulness of the dossier’s claims.
- Trump now owes daily interest of 12% until the full payment is made.
Trump Hit with Legal Defeat in the UK
Donald Trump has been handed a costly defeat in a London courtroom after his lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence, the firm behind the infamous Steele dossier, was dismissed earlier this year. The High Court ordered Trump to pay £625,000—about $820,000—in legal costs, a figure that continues to grow with interest accruing at 12% per day until settled.
Trump’s case, launched in 2022, accused Orbis of breaching British data protection laws through the compilation and dissemination of the Steele dossier. The document, authored by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, made global headlines with unverified claims that Trump was compromised by Russian intelligence, including lurid allegations about sex parties during trips to Moscow.
The former president has long dismissed the dossier as politically motivated fiction. His legal team described the contents as “shocking and scandalous claims,” and Trump himself labeled them “wholly untrue.”
Judge: Case Was “Bound to Fail”
Despite the strong rhetoric, the case never got far in court. In February 2024, High Court Judge Karen Steyn ruled that the claim was “bound to fail” due to Trump’s significant delay in filing. The ruling emphasized procedural timing under British law and did not consider whether the dossier’s contents were accurate.
According to Reuters, Judge Jason Rowley later confirmed the precise payment amount as £626,058.98, which is subject to high daily interest until Trump fulfills the judgment.
Watch coverage of the UK court ruling and Steele dossier fallout.
Background on the Steele Dossier
The Steele dossier has haunted Trump’s presidency since it surfaced during the 2016 election cycle. Compiled by Steele, who once led the Russia desk for Britain’s foreign intelligence service, the report was initially commissioned by anti-Trump Republicans and later funded by Democratic entities. It alleged that Russia had compromising material on Trump and portrayed him as vulnerable to foreign influence.
While the most sensational claims remain unverified, the dossier played a key role in the early stages of investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump has launched legal challenges against its creators in multiple jurisdictions, aiming to discredit the report and hold its authors accountable.
However, the London ruling adds to a string of legal setbacks for the former president as he contends with a web of civil and criminal cases both at home and abroad. It also illustrates the enduring impact of the Russia allegations and the deep legal and financial entanglements they continue to spawn.
A Costly Battle with Limited Upside
Though Trump has framed his legal efforts as a defense of personal and political reputation, this latest loss underscores the high risks of cross-border litigation. The court’s rejection of his case on procedural grounds, coupled with the steep financial penalty, suggests little appetite in the UK legal system for revisiting the dossier’s controversial legacy.
Meanwhile, Trump’s broader legal woes—including ongoing cases in the U.S. related to his business practices, election interference, and classified documents—threaten to stretch both his legal team and finances thin.
As legal pressure mounts, the former president’s efforts to clear his name through the courts may face increasing hurdles—not just in terms of evidence, but cost.
