Former US President Donald Trump has to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees in connection with a failed civil lawsuit in London. The British news agency PA reported this on Thursday, citing court documents. Accordingly, Trump must cover the entire legal costs of the other side, as a judge at the London High Court decided. According to the defendant, these could amount to over 600,000 pounds (around 700,000 euros). Trump now has to pay £300,000 in advance. A specialized judge should then determine the exact amount, the PA report continued.
Trump had sued Orbis Business Intelligence, a consulting firm founded by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. The background was a dossier about Trump that was made public in 2016.
The so-called Steele dossier cites, among other things, reports that the Russian secret service has footage of Trump’s alleged participation in sex orgies in Russia and is using it as a means of pressure. Among other things, it concerns an alleged incident in a hotel in Moscow in 2013, in which prostitutes are said to have urinated on a bed in Trump’s presence.
Trump has always denied attending sex parties in Russia and sued the consulting firm. The 77-year-old former president accused the company of unlawfully using private data. He demanded compensation for the loss of reputation suffered. However, a judge had already dismissed the lawsuit before the main hearing. Trump did not appeal, according to the court documents, according to PA.
After his competitor Nikki Haley withdrew from the Republican primary campaign, nothing stands in the way of Trump’s renewed candidacy for president in this US election year. Polls predict that the race between him and the Democratic incumbent, US President Joe Biden, is likely to be close. In the USA, Trump is currently facing four criminal proceedings over various serious allegations. Among other things, he must answer in court for his attempts to subsequently reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
