A judge in London has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit, accusing former British spy Christopher Steele of making “shocking and scandalous allegations” that were false and damaging to his reputation, according to multiple reports.
Judge Karen Stein ruled Thursday that Trump’s lawsuit, filed in October, should be dismissed, saying there is “no compelling reason to allow this complaint to proceed to trial,” the Associated Press reported. handed down a judgment.
The lawsuit was filed against Orbis Business Intelligence, a company founded by Steele, a former MI6 official who published a 35-page document featuring unsubstantiated claims about President Trump ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump’s lawyers argued last year that the company had breached British data protection laws and that Trump had “suffered personal and reputational harm and distress” as a result.
His lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson, said in October that the dossier “contains shocking and scandalous allegations about President Trump’s personal conduct, including allegations that he bribed Russian officials for business reasons.” “There is,” the Associated Press reported.
The former president claimed the document was “fake news” and part of a political witch hunt against him.
Mr. Steele, who headed MI6’s Russia desk, was paid by Democrats to collect opposition research containing salacious allegations that the Russians could use to blackmail Mr. Trump.
2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee have agreed to settle a campaign finance investigation in 2022 and pay $113,000 in fines stemming from the document.
Orbis argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the report was not intended for publication and was posted by Buzzfeed without Buzzfeed or Steele’s permission.
The company’s defense team further argued that the former president harbored a “deep and intense enmity” toward Steele and the company, and that he “used his actions with the intent to annoy and harass his perceived enemies and opponents.” “We have a long history of making frivolous, worthless, and persistent claims.” he holds a grudge. ”
According to the Associated Press, Stein sided with Orbis, saying that since President Trump first learned of the document’s existence in January 2017, he has “made no effort to correct his reputation in this jurisdiction. , the decision was made that many years had passed.
“Any claim for compensation or damages… is bound to fail,” Stein was quoted as saying.
The Associated Press contributed.
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