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Orbis Business Intelligence, a company led by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, has opened proceedings at Ayr Sheriff Court to recover more than £800,000 in unpaid legal costs from Donald Trump tied to a 2024 English data-protection dispute. London’s High Court ordered Mr Trump to pay Orbis £680,000 in costs; court filings in Scotland show interest and additional applications have taken the figure to £789,812.91 and, according to Orbis’s advocate, now “north of £800,000.” Orbis seeks to enforce that judgment against Trump’s financial interests at the Turnberry resort; SLC Turnberry Limited disputes that Mr Trump is the resort’s direct owner. The sheriff has fixed a further hearing in November and ordered Mr Trump to be told the updated sum claimed.
President Trump has stated emphatically that he owns Turnberry.
Duncan Hamilton KC, Orbis's advocate
Key takeaways
- Claim made: Orbis Business Intelligence has applied in Ayr Sheriff Court for £789,812.91, which its advocate says is now north of £800,000 after interest.
- Previous ruling: London’s High Court ordered Mr Trump to pay Orbis £680,000 in legal costs arising from the 2024 English case.
- Ownership dispute: SLC Turnberry Limited says Mr Trump’s stake at Turnberry rests with trustees and that he is the beneficiary of a trust.
- Next procedural step: Sheriff Millar ordered a further hearing for November and that Mr Trump be informed of the updated amount claimed by Orbis.
Table of contents
Why Orbis is pursuing Trump at Turnberry
Orbis Business Intelligence has moved to Ayr Sheriff Court to enforce an English judgment that ordered Donald Trump to pay legal costs to Christopher Steele’s company. The London High Court dismissed Mr Trump’s action in February 2024 and later ordered him to pay £680,000 in costs; Orbis says subsequent interest and two enforcement applications have taken the figure to £789,812.91. Orbis served papers at the Trump Turnberry resort last September, which is why Ayr falls within the jurisdiction for these enforcement moves.
Orbis’s advocate, Duncan Hamilton KC, told the court that despite the English judgment, Mr Trump had not paid and that Orbis had spent considerable time and money pursuing recovery in multiple jurisdictions. The Scottish applications name Mr Trump as a “debtor” and list SLC Turnberry Limited as the company that runs the resort; Orbis is targeting Trump’s financial interests tied to the property to satisfy the outstanding award.
How Turnberry and Trump’s corporate ties are being argued
SLC Turnberry Limited says the position is not that Mr Trump is not the beneficiary of interests linked to Turnberry, but that the legal link between him and the company is held through trustees. Turnberry's advocate, David Massaro, told the court that the company's shares are held in a US trust and that trustees, not Mr Trump personally, hold the shares. The company argues that that arrangement is not a sufficient legal connection to warrant arresting or enforcing against the company itself.
Companies House records cited in court filings show that Donald Trump Snr has significant control of a company called Golf Recreation Scotland, which in turn has significant control at SLC Turnberry; the Trump family acquired the resort in June 2014. Donald Trump was a director at SLC Turnberry until he resigned in January 2017; his sons remain directors. Those corporate links are central to the legal argument over whether Orbis can reach assets tied to Turnberry to satisfy the English costs award.
The legal trail so far and the immediate next steps
The dispute stems from a defamation and data-protection legal battle involving Christopher Steele and material compiled in 2016; Mr Trump’s 2024 action against Orbis was dismissed and costs awarded to Orbis. Orbis returned to the courts to enforce that costs order; court papers in Ayr detail two applications and list the total as £789,812.91. In an online procedural hearing, the sheriff was told that interest had accrued and that the sum claimed was now “north of £800,000.”
Sheriff Millar has ordered a further hearing to take place in November and directed that Mr Trump be informed of the updated amount Orbis seeks. That procedural hearing will focus on whether the Scottish court can act on the English judgment in light of the trustee structure Turnberry says sits between Mr Trump and the company that operates the resort.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Court judgment (London) | £680,000 ordered in costs |
| Scottish enforcement filings | £789,812.91 claimed; Orbis says now north of £800,000 |
| Property targeted | Trump Turnberry resort (SLC Turnberry Limited) |
How the case could move either way
The case for
- Orbis has a London High Court judgment ordering payment of £680,000 and has already served enforcement papers at Turnberry, strengthening its case for recovery.
- Sheriff Millar has scheduled a further hearing in November and ordered Mr Trump to be told the updated sum, which keeps court pressure on the respondent side.
The case against
- SLC Turnberry Limited argues the shareholding is held by trustees in the US and that those trust arrangements weaken Orbis’s legal link to assets at the company operating Turnberry.
- Cross‑jurisdiction enforcement and an ownership chain that places interests in trusts could lengthen proceedings and reduce the immediate prospect of practical recovery of funds.
What to be careful about
- The trustee structure claimed by SLC Turnberry Limited could prevent or delay enforcement against assets tied to the resort.
- Interest and additional enforcement applications may be challenged, producing further legal costs and procedural delays for both parties.
- The case involves cross-border company records and filings, which can complicate evidence and jurisdictional authority in enforcement actions.
- Public attention around the individuals involved could increase legal and reputational costs for the parties without resolving the underlying ownership questions.
The bottom line
Orbis Business Intelligence has converted a London High Court costs award into active enforcement moves at Turnberry by filing in Ayr Sheriff Court and serving papers at the resort. The Scottish filings put the sum at £789,812.91 and Orbis says interest has pushed it north of £800,000; London had previously ordered Mr Trump to pay £680,000. SLC Turnberry Limited’s defence rests on trust arrangements and a contested ownership chain, and Sheriff Millar has set a further hearing in November to resolve procedural and jurisdictional questions. The case will turn on whether the trustee structure is sufficient to block enforcement against assets tied to the company that runs Turnberry.
What to watch
- Watch for the further Ayr Sheriff Court hearing in November; no year is given in the court documents.
- Watch for the court notifying Donald Trump of the updated amount claimed by Orbis ahead of the November hearing; the sheriff ordered that notification to be made.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Orbis suing Donald Trump in Scotland?
Orbis Business Intelligence is seeking to enforce a London High Court costs judgment against Donald Trump by targeting his financial interests at the Turnberry resort, because sheriff officers served enforcement papers at Turnberry and Ayr falls within the Scottish court’s jurisdiction.
How much is Orbis claiming?
Court documents list two enforcement applications totalling £789,812.91 and Orbis’s advocate told the court that, after interest, the amount is now north of £800,000; the original London judgment ordered Mr Trump to pay £680,000 in costs.
What does SLC Turnberry Limited say about ownership?
SLC Turnberry Limited says Mr Trump's stake is held via trustees in a US trust, with trustees holding the shares while Mr Trump remains the beneficiary, and it argues those arrangements do not provide a sufficient legal link for enforcement against the company.
When is the next court hearing?
Sheriff Millar ordered a further hearing to take place in November and directed that Mr Trump be informed of the updated amount Orbis seeks; the court documents state only 'November' and give no specific year or day.
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