Intelligence Firm Sues Donald Trump in Scottish Court to Recover £800,000 in Legal Debts

An intelligence consultancy established by a former British intelligence officer has launched legal action against Donald Trump in a Scottish sheriff court, seeking to recover more than £800,000 in unpaid legal expenses.

The action was brought before Ayr Sheriff Court by Orbis Business Intelligence, a firm directed by Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer who authored the controversial dossier detailing Trump's alleged ties to Russia. The current proceedings represent an attempt by the corporate intelligence agency to satisfy debts arising from a failed lawsuit Trump previously brought against Steele in England.

The financial claim stems from a 2024 data protection case in London's High Court of Justice, where a judge dismissed Trump's claims against Orbis on the grounds that the action was brought out of time. Following that ruling, the court ordered Trump to pay Orbis £680,000 to cover its legal fees, but Orbis contends the debt remains entirely unpaid.

Legal documents submitted in Scotland identify Trump as a debtor and outline that accumulating interest has driven the total sum demanded across two applications to £789,812.91. With ongoing costs and interest continuing to accrue, the overall liability now exceeds £800,000.

Because Orbis and Steele have no independent corporate presence in Ayrshire, the company directed its enforcement efforts to Ayr Sheriff Court due to its territorial jurisdiction over the Trump Turnberry golf resort. Sheriff officers formally served legal papers at the Ayrshire luxury property in September.

During a virtual procedural hearing, Orbis's legal representative, Duncan Hamilton KC, argued that Trump had persistently refused or failed to settle the court-mandated costs over the 18 months since the original English judgment was handed down. Hamilton stated that his client had been compelled to expend considerable financial resources and time attempting to pursue the former president across multiple legal jurisdictions.

Hamilton also raised questions regarding the ownership structure of the resort, noting that Trump had repeatedly and publicly stated his ownership of Turnberry. The advocate highlighted that Trump had affirmed this ownership in official United States federal asset declarations as well as in a sworn witness statement submitted directly to the High Court in London.

Orbis's counsel warned that the defence put forward by the resort's operating company places Trump in legal and reputational jeopardy. Hamilton suggested that if Turnberry argues Trump is not its ultimate owner, it implies that his prior official filings and sworn court statements were untrue.

In response, David Massaro, the advocate representing SLC Turnberry Limited—the registered corporate owner of the golf resort—countered that the company was not alleging Trump had made false statements. Instead, Massaro explained that Trump's stake in the property is ultimately held through a trust based in the United States, with Trump positioned as its beneficiary.

The defence maintained that holding an interest as a trust beneficiary, where shares are formally controlled by trustees, does not establish a sufficient legal connection between Trump and the Scottish entity to permit the enforcement of his personal debts against Turnberry's assets.

Following the initial arguments, Sheriff Millar scheduled a full substantive hearing for November. The sheriff also directed that Trump be formally notified of the updated debt figures claimed by Orbis.

The bitter legal dispute between the parties dates back to the 2016 US presidential race. Steele, who previously headed MI6's Russia desk, was commissioned by a law firm connected to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign to examine Trump's potential links to Russian officials.

The resulting dossier compiled by Steele included numerous uncorroborated intelligence assertions, alleging that Russian security agencies had cultivated and compromised Trump, and claiming he had participated in compromising activities, including sex parties. The document was subsequently published online without authorisation by the media outlet BuzzFeed in 2017.

Trump strongly denied all allegations contained in the dossier, dismissing them as false, and subsequently launched legal proceedings against Orbis in London. After the High Court threw out the claim in February 2024 and issued costs orders against Trump, Orbis moved to enforce the debt against his commercial footprint in the United Kingdom.

The Turnberry resort, which was acquired by the Trump family in June 2014 and has been visited by Trump on multiple occasions, now forms the focal point of the ongoing cross-border legal battle to recover the court-ordered sums.