Nearly $1 million in fines. This is the sum to which former President of the United States Donald Trump and his lawyer were sentenced, Thursday, January 19, for having brought a lawsuit « futile » to Hillary Clinton accusing her of attempted cheating in the 2016 presidential election. The judgment condemns Mr. Trump and Alina Habba jointly and severally to pay 937,989.39 dollars to cover the opposing party’s legal costs.
Judge John Middlebrooks ruled that the Republican billionaire, who hopes to return to the White House in 2024, had committed a “misuse of the courts” by taking legal action “in order to dishonestly advance a political narrative”.
The application, which Judge Middlebrooks denied last year, claimed that Ms.me Clinton and others had tried to persuade the public that Mr. Trump’s campaign had Russian support.
A “prolific and sophisticated litigator”
The former president claimed 70 million dollars in damages from his former rival, whom he had finally beaten in the presidential election of November 2016. This action “should never have been brought”said the magistrate in his 45-page judgment, explaining:
“Its inadequacy as a legal remedy was evident from the outset. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, the arguments of the complaint do not state any admissible legal demand. »
Donald Trump is a “prolific and sophisticated litigator who repeatedly uses the courts to exact revenge on his political opponentsJudge Middlebrooks wrote again. He is the architect of a strategic diversion of the legal process, and he cannot be considered as a litigant who would blindly follow the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions. »