A US federal judge on Thursday fined former President Donald Trump and his lawyers $1 million for filing a “futile” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, accusing her of attempted presidential fraud in 2016.
Judge John Middlebrooks has ruled that the Republican billionaire, who hopes to return to the White House in 2024, committed “abuse of the courts” by filing a lawsuit “to advance a dishonest political narrative.”
The application, which Judge Middlebrooks dismissed last year, alleged that Clinton and others had tried to convince the public that the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia. The former president demanded $70 million in damages from his former opponent, whom he had finally defeated in the November 2016 presidential election.
In his 45-page ruling, the judge said the measure “should never have been lifted”.
Its inadequacy as a legal remedy was evident from the outset. No reasonable lawyer would provide it. Again, the judge wrote, because its purpose was political, none of the arguments in the complaint make an admissible legal plea.
The ruling ordered Mr. Trump and his attorney, Alina Heba, jointly and severally to pay $937,989.39 to cover the adversary’s legal costs.
Justice Middlebrooks writes that Donald Trump is “a prolific and sophisticated litigator who repeatedly uses the courts to exact revenge on his political opponents.”
He is the architect of the strategic transformation of the judicial process, and cannot be seen as one of the litigants who will blindly follow the advice of a lawyer. He knew very well the impact of his actions.”
“Food trailblazer. Passionate troublemaker. Coffee fanatic. General analyst. Certified creator. Lifelong music expert. Alcohol specialist.”