Donald Trump has lost BIGLY again, this time in a court in the U.K., where he attempted to sue Orbis, a company belonging to former British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele.
Steele was the author of a dossier provided to U.S. intelligence agencies, warning the government of allegations that Trump had engaged in various questionable or potentially scandalous behaviors, including the infamous “pee tape.”
While there’s no statute preventing a man who allegedly hired sex workers in order to watch them urinate on the bed where his predecessor slept from becoming president of the United States, potential blackmail concerns are often brought to the attention of the government to prevent or offer advance warning of potential security issues.
Russian officials allegedly held a video of the rumored cringe-inducing behavior to use as leverage for controlling Trump when he gained political power.
In fact, the document alleged that Russia had collected Kompromat on Trump including “sexual perversion,” bribes, and corrupt business practices dating into the 1990s. Though it was considered “raw intelligence,” allegations to merit further investigation rather than proven facts, Trump attempted to sue Orbis in the UK, where the outcome was not in his favor. Courthouse News reports:
“High Court judge Karen Steyn ruled last month that there were “no compelling reasons” to allow the claim to proceed to trial..The judge also threw out Trump’s claim for compensation, stating that he had “chosen to allow many years to elapse — without any attempt to vindicate his reputation” in the U.K. courts since the dossier came out.”
She’s ordered him to immediately pay Orbis’ legal bills — amounting to at least £300,000 (or over $380,000 in U.S. dollars as of today’s exchange rates). A specialist judge will determine the final amount, which Orbis argues should be more than twice as high.
The order was issued on February 1st, but Trump has not attempted to appeal it, according to The Bradenton Herald.
In fact, he hasn’t mentioned it, even as he rants on social media daily and at his rallies and other events about all the U.S.-based cases he’s either lost or not yet managed to escape. There’s no sign, so far, that he’s made any move to pay it, either.
Orbis was successful in its bid to have the case thrown out, arguing that Trump waited too long to bring the suit and that they were not responsible for the publication of the document, which was intended to be used for investigatory purposes, not assertions of documented fact, but was leaked to Buzzfeed by an unknown entity.
