Donald Trump’s UK lawsuit over the Steele dossier was dismissed by London’s High Court on February 1, 2024, and he was later ordered to pay Orbis Business Intelligence more than $820,000 in legal costs after refusing to settle the bill on time. Justice Karen Steyn ruled the data protection claim was “bound to fail,” and a bid to appeal was rejected weeks later.
What Trump Sued Over
Trump filed his claim in the High Court of Justice in London on October 26, 2022, under case number KB-2022-004403. Christopher Steele was initially named as a co-defendant but was later removed, leaving Orbis Business Intelligence Limited — the London firm Steele founded — as the only defendant.1UK Judiciary. Trump v Orbis Business Intelligence Limited Judgment
The lawsuit was not a defamation case. Trump’s lawyers built the claim on British data protection law, alleging that Orbis violated the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data Protection Act 1998 by processing inaccurate personal data about him.1UK Judiciary. Trump v Orbis Business Intelligence Limited Judgment He sought compensation for distress and reputational damage and asked the court to order Orbis to correct or delete the data.
The claim focused on two specific intelligence memoranda from the dossier: Memorandum 080, dated June 20, 2016, and Memorandum 113, dated September 14, 2016. Trump’s lawyers described the allegations in those documents as “wholly untrue.” Memorandum 080 alleged compromising sexual conduct by Trump in a Moscow hotel and claimed he had handed Russian authorities material that could be used for blackmail. Memorandum 113 alleged that Trump paid bribes to Russian officials, attended illicit gatherings in St. Petersburg, and conspired to silence witnesses.1UK Judiciary. Trump v Orbis Business Intelligence Limited Judgment
Why the High Court Dismissed the Case
Justice Karen Steyn granted summary judgment for Orbis on February 1, 2024, finding the case had “no reasonable grounds” and constituted “an abuse of the court’s process.”2Jurist. UK High Court Dismisses Trump Steele Dossier Lawsuit Her decision rested on several independent grounds.
The first was timing. Trump had known about the dossier since January 2017, when BuzzFeed published it in full, but did not sue in the UK until late 2022. The court found his damages claim fell outside the applicable six-year limitation period, noting that Trump had “chosen to allow many years to elapse” without any attempt to vindicate his reputation in that jurisdiction.3Spectrum News. UK Lawsuit Dismissed: Donald Trump, Christopher Steele Dossier
The second ground was the thin nature of what remained. The only ongoing act of data processing the court could still consider was Orbis’s continued storage of the memoranda. Justice Steyn described that processing as “minimal” and found no reasonable basis for awarding compensation for distress caused by mere retention of documents that were already freely available online.2Jurist. UK High Court Dismisses Trump Steele Dossier Lawsuit
The third ground was procedural. Trump’s team asked to amend the claim to add allegations under the older Data Protection Act 1998. The court refused, concluding the proposed addition did not arise from “the same or substantially the same facts” as the original pleading.4Inforrm. Case Summary: Trump v Orbis
Orbis said in response that the judgment was “meticulous and comprehensive” and that the lawsuit “should never have been brought.”5Politico. Donald Trump Steele Dossier Lawsuit Dismissed by London Court
The Failed Appeal
Trump asked for permission to appeal. In March 2024, Lord Justice Mark Warby refused, finding that any appeal “would have no real prospect of success.” A source familiar with the matter said at the time that Trump’s legal team planned to keep pursuing further avenues.6CNN. Donald Trump Steele Dossier Appeal
The $820,000 Legal Bill and Trump’s Refusal to Pay
After the dismissal, Justice Steyn initially ordered Trump to pay roughly £300,000 (about $380,000) in legal fees to Orbis.7The Guardian. Trump Loses Lawsuit Over Steele Dossier He did not pay.
In January 2025, Judge Jason Rowley ordered Trump to pay £290,000 (about $360,000) within 28 days, warning that failure to pay would bar him from being represented at a later hearing to assess the full costs bill. Trump’s legal representative argued he enjoyed “sovereign immunity” as a sitting head of state. Orbis lawyer Mark Friston called that argument “completely hopeless,” pointing out that the case arose from a private lawsuit Trump himself had initiated. Trump’s attorney, Jacqueline Perry, told the court the matter “isn’t high in his area of importance” and disclosed that Trump was separately pursuing a professional negligence claim against his former legal advisers for filing the original suit under the wrong statute.8Reuters. Donald Trump Fails to Pay Legal Bill Over Failed Steele Dossier Lawsuit
On April 3, 2025, Judge Rowley ordered Trump to pay the full assessed costs: $695,670 in legal fees owed to Orbis plus $124,550 in costs tied to the fee dispute itself. The total came to just over $821,550, with interest accruing daily at 12 percent.9Yahoo News. Donald Trump Must Pay $821,000 in Legal Fees10The Hill. Trump Legal Fees Steele Dossier Lawsuit
What the Court Did Not Decide
The ruling did not touch the question most readers ask about the dossier. Justice Steyn stated explicitly that the court had not “considered, or made any determination, as to the accuracy or inaccuracy of the Memoranda.”1UK Judiciary. Trump v Orbis Business Intelligence Limited Judgment The case was resolved on limitation, the minimal nature of the remaining processing, and pleading rules — not on whether the allegations Steele reported were true or false.