(VitalNews.org) – In September 2022, the Associated Press reported US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks dismissed a case former President Donald Trump brought against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others from March of that year. In his ruling, the judge stated Trump was simply trying to use the court system to “flaunt” a lengthy “political manifesto,” adding that his claims weren’t backed by law.
On January 19, that same Florida judge sanctioned Trump for bringing the lawsuit in the first place. In fact, the ruling stated the “case should have never been brought,” saying Trump and his legal team had misused the court system. Middlebrooks then ordered Trump and his lead attorney, Alina Habba from Habba Madaio & Associates, to pay Clinton $937,989.39 to reimburse her for the costs she incurred defending herself.
Florida judge fines Trump, lawyer for 'frivolous' lawsuit https://t.co/sNI6nsxLfY
— WGN Radio News (@WGNRadioNews) January 20, 2023
In March 2022, Newsweek reported that the former president had filed a lawsuit against Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and some others, accusing them of hatching a plot against him during the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. He claimed through the filing that his opponent and her co-conspirators were “spreading lies” about his alleged collusion with Russia. Trump went so far as to say the plan included “falsifying records” and changing data to hurt his bid for the White House.
Middlebrooks’ recent ruling included details about why he rejected the March case and his reasoning for the sanctions. The judge noted “fatal substantive defects” in the original filing and indicated the amended complaint lacked a clear focus. In short, the court felt the suit was contradicted by evidence, yet Habba kept pushing the claims. Middlebrooks pointed to Trump’s “conduct” throughout the judicial process as the reason for granting Clinton her motion to recover her costs.
The AP News reached out to both Trump and his attorney for comment, but received no response.
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