Trump just withdrew his frivolous lawsuit against NY AG Letitia James, which is also in front of Judge Middlebrooks.
A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others that claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in Clinton’s favor.
“This case should never have been brought,” wrote (Bill Clinton appointed) Judge John Middlebrooks in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in his order sanctioning Trump for the civil suit, which the judge previously dismissed. “Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start,” Middlebrooks wrote. “No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.”
Under the order, Trump and his lead lawyer in the case, Alina Habba, are jointly and severally liable for the total amount of sanctions the judge imposed: $937,989.39.
Middlebrooks had previously granted the request for sanctions filed by one of the defendants in Trump’s lawsuit. That order – which demanded sanctions of more than $66,000 – has been paused while Trump’s attorneys appealed. The latest decision, which ordered $937,989 in sanctions, stems from a request by several other defendants, including Clinton.
The judge pointed to Trump’s “pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes” as he ticked through several other failed lawsuits Trump has brought in recent years.
“Frivolous lawsuits should not be used as a vehicle for fundraising or fodder for rallies or social media,” Middlebrooks wrote. “Mr. Trump is using the courts as a stage set for political theater and grievance. This behavior interferes with the ability of the judiciary to perform its constitutional duty.”
