Judge orders Trump deposition by December 11 in $10 billion BBC lawsuit
A federal judge has set a December 11 deadline for Trump to answer questions under oath in his BBC defamation case, amid a dispute over access to financial records.
Washington, United States. A federal judge ruled Thursday that Donald Trump must give a deposition by December 11 in his defamation case seeking at least $10 billion from the BBC. The broadcaster has alleged that the US president is delaying proceedings to avoid questioning under oath.
Deadline for sworn testimony
A spokesperson for Trump’s personal lawyers said US Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued the decision orally during Thursday’s court hearing, requiring Trump to answer the BBC legal team’s questions under oath.
Trump had called off an October deposition because of scheduling clashes with his responsibilities as president. His lawyers have rejected allegations in court filings that he is evading testimony, arguing that presidential obligations and security requirements must come first.
The spokesperson said the case sought to make the BBC answer for defamation and “reckless election interference.”
Dispute over records
The BBC has alleged in court submissions that Trump and his legal team have been slow to provide documents and other material requested through discovery, the process through which litigants exchange information.
Its requests include financial documents relating to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and his network of business entities. The broadcaster argues that these records are needed to contest his claims for damages.
Trump’s lawyers maintain that the requests extend too far and have no relevance to the dispute.
Edited speech at centre of case
Trump brought the lawsuit in December in a federal court in Florida against Britain’s publicly financed broadcaster. He alleges that the BBC deliberately combined separate passages from his speech on January 6, 2021, to give viewers the false impression that he had instructed supporters to storm the US Capitol.
The footage was broadcast in a Panorama documentary shortly before the presidential election in 2024, which Trump won. An internal BBC memorandum that was leaked identified the editing as a sign of possible political bias. The resulting public-relations crisis prompted resignations among senior figures at the broadcaster.
The BBC, which declined to comment, has acknowledged that the editing was misleading and apologised to Trump. It nevertheless disputes that it is liable for defamation.
The action is among several lawsuits Trump has brought privately against media organisations as part of a broader campaign to pressure outlets over reporting he objects to.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →