A federal court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Alina Habba, are still on the hook for a $1 million penalty for filing a ‘frivolous’ lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and other political figures. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the original ruling, which had been issued in 2023, that Trump and Habba were to pay the penalty, which they had appealed.
The lawsuit, dismissed earlier, originally accused the defendants of conspiring to undermine Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The court’s decision highlights the ongoing legal scrutiny of Trump’s actions following his presidency. Judge Donald Middlebrooks, in his 2023 ruling, described the lawsuit as ‘frivolous, both factually and legally,’ and noted its ‘bad faith’ purpose. He criticized Trump’s repeated use of the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries, calling him the ‘mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process.’
In addition to Clinton and Comey, the lawsuit also included Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, and many others. The penalty, totaling approximately $938,000, will be split among the defendants. Trump and Habba, who now serves as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, face the financial consequences of their legal actions.
Recently, Trump claimed a legal victory by having a lawsuit against an Iowa pollster moved to state court. However, that case is separate from the current ruling. Meanwhile, a separate federal court dismissed false statements charges against Comey, citing the unqualified appointment of U.S. attorney Lindsay Halligan, whom Trump had appointed just weeks earlier. Judge Cameron Currie, a Clinton appointee in South Carolina, was brought in to preside over the case due to potential conflicts for Virginia judges. Comey and others had challenged Halligan’s appointment as part of the case consolidation.