A federal appeals court has unanimously upheld a penalty of nearly $1 million against former President Donald Trump and his attorney, Alina Habba, for filing what the court deemed a 'frivolous' lawsuit against 2016 political rival Hillary Clinton and others.
Court Delivers Scathing Rebuke
In a decisive ruling released on Wednesday, a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss the case and impose significant financial sanctions. The 36-page opinion, written by Chief Judge William Pryor Jr.—an appointee of former President George W. Bush—concluded that Trump and Habba had committed 'sanctionable conduct' by initiating the legal action three years ago.
Judge Pryor was joined by Judges Andrew Brasher and Embry Kidd, appointees of President Joe Biden and Donald Trump respectively, indicating a bipartisan consensus on the matter. The opinion stated bluntly that 'many of Trump’s and Habba’s legal arguments were indeed frivolous' and that the pair provided 'no reason' to reverse the initial ruling.
The Origins of the Legal Dispute
Donald Trump originally filed the suit in 2022 against Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, the Democratic National Committee, and several other individuals. The lawsuit alleged a widespread conspiracy to 'weave a false narrative' that his 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia.
Trump and his then-attorney, Alina Habba, accused Clinton of leveraging this narrative to 'discredit, delegitimize and defame' him. The former president claimed this ongoing 'conspiracy' caused him to endure a minimum of $24 million in damages, including substantial legal fees.
A Pattern of Legal Setbacks
This ruling represents the latest in a series of legal defeats for Trump in his attempts to litigate against political opponents. In 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, threw out the case, stating that 'no reasonable lawyer would have filed it.'
Judge Middlebrooks ordered Habba and Trump to pay $937,989 to the defendants to cover their legal costs. The recent appeals court decision reinforces this penalty, noting that the lower court properly considered Trump’s 'pattern of misusing the courts' and did not err in its judgment.
Following the decision, a spokesperson for Trump's legal team told Axios that 'Trump will continue to pursue this matter to its just and rightful conclusion,' signalling a potential for further legal challenges.
