Lawyers for the former US president Donald Trump will argue at London's High Court today that he can pursue his lawsuit against a British private investigations firm over a dossier which alleged that Russia supported his 2016 election campaign.
Mr Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is suing Orbis Business Intelligence for alleged data protection breaches relating to a document written by former British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele.
The "Steele dossier" made allegations about ties between Mr Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia, saying he engaged in "perverted sexual acts" which were monitored by Russia's Federal Security Service.
Many of the allegations were never substantiated.
Mr Trump has previously criticised what he described as Mr Steele's "fake dossier", and his lawyers say the report is inaccurate.
In court filings, Mr Trump denies the allegations made in the dossier, including that he engaged in perverted sexual behaviour in Russia and that he paid bribes to Russian officials to further his business interests.
He is seeking compensation for "personal and reputational damage and distress", which Mr Trump's lawyers say were caused by the "false, intrusive and damaging allegations about (his) personal life".
Orbis, however, is applying to have the lawsuit thrown out of court on the grounds it has no real prospect of success, according to a High Court order dated 9 June.
The firm's application will be heard over two days.
Mr Trump's lawsuit against the firm is one of many legal cases the former president is involved in.
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He and his family business are currently facing a lawsuit from the New York attorney general's office which threatens to dismantle the Trump business empire over allegations that the former president inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan and insurance terms.
Mr Trump is also facing four separate sets of criminal charges, including allegations in a federal court in Washington that he conspired to defraud the United States by preventing the US Congress from certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over him.
Despite his legal entanglements, however, Mr Trump leads afield of rivals seeking the 2024 Republican nomination, with many Republican voters having embraced his assertion that he is the victim of a Democrat "witch hunt".
