Appeals Court Upholds $1-M Fine on Trump for Case vs. Hillary Clinton

A federal appeals court has upheld a penalty of nearly $1 million against former President Donald Trump and attorney Alina Habba, concluding they committed “sanctionable conduct” by filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney reported for Politico.

The ruling is the latest setback in Trump’s legal crusades against perceived adversaries and marks the second rebuke by the 11th Circuit in recent days. (Photo: Barbara Kinney, Hilary for America Flickr) 

“Many of Trump’s and Habba’s legal arguments were indeed frivolous,” 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge William Pryor Jr. wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel, which included Trump appointee Andrew Brasher and Biden appointee Embry Kidd.

The Atlanta-based court also rejected Trump’s bid to reinstate the 2022 lawsuit targeting Clinton, Comey, and others over allegations related to supposed ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

“Many of Trump’s and Habba’s legal arguments were indeed frivolous,” 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge William Pryor Jr. wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel, which included Trump appointee Andrew Brasher and Biden appointee Embry Kidd.

The Atlanta-based court also rejected Trump’s bid to reinstate the 2022 lawsuit targeting Clinton, Comey, and others over allegations related to supposed ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

The lawsuit had alleged a broad racketeering conspiracy to fabricate false accusations against his campaign and spur investigations such as special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

Pryor, a George W. Bush appointee, concluded that the district court judge who originally ruled against Trump had properly considered Trump’s “pattern of misusing the courts” when deciding to sanction Trump and Habba.

The ruling is the latest setback in Trump’s legal crusades against perceived adversaries and marks the second rebuke by the 11th Circuit in recent days.

Last week, a separate panel — which also included two Trump appointees — rejected Trump’s attempt to revive a lawsuit against CNN over its use of the term “Big Lie” to describe his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.