3 Apr 2025

DJT Ordered to Pay £626,000 Legal Costs After He Sued Unsuccessfully

by Bonnie | | 0

A court in England ordered Donald Trump to pay over £626,058.98 in legal costs after his data protection claim against Orbis Business Intelligence did not prevail.

In the UK, it is common practice for the losing side in a court case to be required to pay the legal costs of the prevailing side.

Orbis was founded as a consultancy by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele in 2022. Steele wrote a research report commonly called “the Steele dossier.” Trump denied all allegations in it, especially that he

is “compromised” by the Russian security service, the FSB
engaged in “sex parties” while in St Petersburg, Russia
consorted with sex workers in Moscow.

In response to Trump’s lawsuit, Orbis said the case should be thrown out on two grounds: the report was not intended for public release and BuzzFeed published it without permission, and the claim was filed too late. In February 2024, Mrs Justice Steyn threw out Trump’s claim without ruling on whether the allegations are true. She ordered Trump to pay Orbis’s costs, starting with an initial payment of £290,000.

In January 2025, a court hearing was told Trump “decided not to pay.”

A three-day hearing was held to determine the total legal bill, which Trump could not attend due to his refusal to begin paying. Including daily interest accrual at 12%, today Judge Rowley ordered Trump to pay £626,058.98, which Rowley described as “both reasonable and proportionate.”

Click here for more details.

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