Hillary Clinton wants Donald Trump to pay.
The failed 2016 Democratic presidential candidate filed court papers Monday demanding that the former president pay her legal fees in a dismissed lawsuit she called frivolous.
The lawsuit, which accused Mrs. Clinton of conspiracy over the unproven charges of Russian collusion during the 2016 campaign, was dismissed in September and the former first lady’s lawyers called it a “political stunt” that can and should result in sanctions.
“A reasonable attorney would never have filed this suit, let alone continued to prosecute it after multiple Defendants’ motions to dismiss highlighted its fundamental and incurable defects,” Mrs. Clinton’s attorneys wrote.
A judge tossed the suit, which Mr. Trump filed in March, as merely a “political manifesto.” Mr. Trump has appealed that dismissal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Federal law lets a judge order attorneys who “unreasonably and vexatiously” multiply court proceedings to pay excess costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees.
“Plaintiff’s suit was unwarranted on the facts, unsupported by the law and imposed substantial burdens both on Defendants and this Court,” Mrs. Clinton’s attorneys argued. “Despite being alerted to the many deficiencies in the initial Complaint by one round of motions to dismiss, Plaintiff and his counsel pressed forward on an Amended Complaint that fixed none of the problems.”
In a statement reported by The Hill, Trump attorney Alina Habba denied that the lawsuit was politically motivated but accused Mrs. Clinton of making the filing for political purposes.
“This motion, conveniently filed one week prior to election day, is nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to score political points,” she continued. “This motion is particularly inappropriate, given that our client’s case will soon be reviewed by the Eleventh Circuit. We will oppose this motion and trust that the Court will see through this ruse.”
