Title: Donald Trump Files Lawsuit Against Former MI6 Officer’s Intelligence Consultancy for Personal and Reputational Damage
Subtitle: President Trump seeks compensation for alleged data protection breaches from Christopher Steele’s consultancy
London, [Date] – Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal battles have now extended beyond the United States, as a hearing against a former MI6 officer’s intelligence consultancy commenced on Monday. Trump has accused the consultancy of causing him “personal and reputational damage and distress.”
The legal action was filed by Trump against Christopher Steele, a former British spy, and his consultancy firm, Orbis Business Intelligence. The lawsuit alleges data protection breaches following the leak of an explosive dossier that claimed Russia possessed compromising material on Trump.
The dossier, famously known as the Steele dossier, was authored by Steele and made sensational allegations about contacts between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russian officials. Moreover, it claimed that Trump had engaged in “perverted sexual acts,” monitored by Russian security services. However, many of these allegations were never substantiated.
Trump, who previously dismissed the dossier as “fake news” and called Steele a “failed spy,” expressed his desire to testify before a London court to refute what he deems as “scandalous” claims. One such claim alleged that Trump participated in “sex parties” while in St. Petersburg.
Hugh Tomlinson, Trump’s lawyer, informed the court that his client denies all the allegations made in the dossier and is seeking unspecified compensation for the damage caused to his personal and professional reputation.
According to the legal filing submitted to London’s High Court, Trump’s lawyers state that he was “compelled to explain to his family, friends, and colleagues that the embarrassing allegations about his private life were untrue. This was extremely distressing for the Claimant [Trump].”
Lawyers representing Orbis, a London-based firm founded by former British intelligence professionals, are seeking to have the case dismissed, arguing that it lacks a realistic chance of succeeding.
Steele, once responsible for the service’s Russia desk, compiled the dossier on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign for a private investigation firm. After the dossier was leaked to BuzzFeed and published in early 2017, Steele briefly went into hiding.
Notably, this is not the first time that Steele and Orbis have faced legal action in British courts over the dossier. In a 2020 case, Britain’s High Court dismissed a libel claim by Russian national and businessman Aleksej Gubarev, ruling that Steele could not be held responsible for the report’s public disclosure, although the report contained defamatory references.
Additionally, Orbis was ordered to pay Russian oligarchs Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman $22,000 each in a separate case. The oligarchs argued that the dossier contained inaccurate personal data concerning their alleged relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The judge ruled that the allegations were either inaccurate or misleading, dismissing four out of five specific complaints filed by them.
While Trump continues to fight several other legal battles in U.S. federal and state courts, the London hearing is expected to last two days. A decision on the matter will be determined at a later date.