Donald Trump's lawsuit over 'Steele dossier' thrown out by UK court (updated)

BuzzFeed

01/02/2024 10:15

(Adds details in paragraphs 3-7)
       LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's data protection
lawsuit against a British private investigations firm over a
dossier which alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russia
was thrown out by London's High Court on Thursday.
    Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential
nomination, had sued Orbis Business Intelligence about claims in
a dossier written by former British intelligence officer
Christopher Steele, who co-founded Orbis.
    Judge Karen Steyn ruled that the former U.S. president's
case could not continue, saying in a written ruling that "there
are no compelling reasons to allow the claim to proceed to
trial".
        Trump said in a 
    witness statement
     made public in October that he brought the case to prove
claims in the so-called Steele dossier, published by the
BuzzFeed website in 2017, that he engaged in "perverted sexual
acts" in Russia, are false.
  
        Many of the allegations were never substantiated and
lawyers for Trump, 77, said that the report is "egregiously
inaccurate" and contained "numerous false, phoney or made-up
allegations".
  
        Orbis, however, argued that Trump brought the claim
simply to address his "longstanding grievances" against the
company and Steele.
  
        The London lawsuit is just one of 
    many legal cases
     involving Trump, who faces four separate criminal
prosecutions in the United States. 
  

 (Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Kate Holton)
 ((Sam.Tobin@thomsonreuters.com;))