A London high court judge dismissed Donald Trump’s claim for damages over allegations in the “Steele dossier” of engaging in illicit sexual activities and making payments to Russian officials.
Judge Steyn and Orbis Business Intelligence, led by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier, agreed the lawsuit lacked merit for trial. The court found the claim was filed too late, beyond the six-year limit, without assessing the dossier’s truth. Trump’s request for damages was deemed baseless, with no chance of success.
The court noted that Trump’s additional request for a compliance order was unnecessary, given the dossier’s online availability and Orbis’s commitment to delete its copies. Trump, leading in the Republican race, had offered to testify, contesting Orbis’s handling of his data in the 2016 dossier, which BuzzFeed published in 2017. This document alleged Trump’s participation in compromising activities in Russia, which he denies.