A judge orders Trump to pay almost $1 million in fines for baseless lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.
A court in Florida has ruled that ex-US President Donald Trump and one of his attorneys must pay nearly $1 million in fines for filing a frivolous lawsuit against about 30 alleged political foes, including Hillary Clinton and former FBI agent James Comey. This was reported by The New York Times.
The ruling was a significant setback for Trump, who has seldom faced such consequences in his extensive history of using the legal system as a weapon against business rivals, partners, former employees, and journalists.
Former US President and his lawyer Alina Hubba accused former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 30 other defendants of attempting to discredit Trump during the 2016 election campaign. They sought $70 million in damages.
In March 2022, Trump sued Clinton, who contested him for the presidency in 2016, alleging that she and others conspired to spread false information about his purported links to Russia. In June 2022, Trump incorporated materials from the closed case of US Special Counsel John Durham against Democratic lawyer Michael Sussman into the lawsuit. In September, the lawsuit was dismissed by the court, but Trump’s representatives appealed the decision.
A counter-petition was subsequently filed by Clinton and other defendants. They labeled the claims of the former president as baseless and sought over $1 million in damages from Trump and his lawyer. The court granted the request and fined Trump and Hubba $937.9 thousand.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks stated in the ruling, “This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal action was evident from the outset. No reasonable lawyer would have brought it. Intended for political purposes, none of the points in the amended complaint contained a verifiable legal action,” noting that “Trump and his lawyers are abusing the judiciary.”
The judge wrote, “Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigator who has repeatedly used the courts to exact revenge on political opponents. He is the mastermind behind strategic abuses in the litigation and should not be seen as blindly following counsel. He was well aware of the consequences of his actions.”
Middlebrooks explained that Trump’s lawsuit was “in bad faith for an improper purpose” and “necessarily harmed” 31 individuals and entities, including the Democratic National Committee, whom he sued “in order to dishonestly advance a political narrative.”
The judge added that Trump’s use of the courts helped undermine public confidence in them.
Middlebrooks said, “The consistent practice of misusing the courts by Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as vested interests, and diverts resources from those who have suffered real legal harm.”
According to The NYT, the former US president is facing “a wide range of legal challenges and criminal investigations.”
“His lawyers are increasingly scrutinizing their actions in these cases, and also disagree on the advice they give him,” the publication says.
