4 minBusiness
Judge Warns Trump of Sanctions in $10 Billion BBC Defamation Suit
A federal magistrate judge has warned President Donald Trump that he faces sanctions if he does not sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, scheduling a hearing by Oct. 22 after the broadcaster moved to compel his testimony.
A federal magistrate judge has warned President Donald Trump that he will face sanctions if he does not sit for a deposition in the $10 billion defamation lawsuit he filed against the BBC, escalating a procedural fight over whether the president must answer questions under oath in a case he brought himself.
Magistrate Judge Enjolique A. Lett issued the warning after the BBC filed a motion to compel Trump's deposition, saying his legal team had insisted the president had «no availability whatsoever» before the end of the discovery period on Dec. 18 because he is occupied with «matters of national importance.» The judge scheduled a hearing by Oct. 22 and said the court expects «strict compliance» with its order, adding that failure to comply «will lead to sanctions.»
Trump filed the lawsuit late last year in a personal capacity, seeking $5 billion for defamation and $5 billion for a violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The suit centers on a 2024 BBC «Panorama» documentary that, according to the complaint, distorted his remarks to supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, by splicing together separate portions of a lengthy address.
Critics of the documentary say it omitted Trump's call for supporters to protest peacefully and instead combined two comments made nearly an hour apart, making it appear he was calling for violence. In the program, Trump was shown saying, «We're going to walk down to the Capitol. And I'll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell.» In reality, Trump said, «We're going to walk down to the Capitol. And we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.» It was not until 54 minutes later that Trump called on supporters to «fight like hell» for election integrity.
The BBC has said it understands that a presidential deposition requires «additional planning,» but argued that Trump «accepted the obligations of civil litigation» when he chose to file the lawsuit. The broadcaster has previously apologized for the erroneous edit and said it pulled the program from its platforms, while insisting the mistake is not enough to support a defamation claim. The controversy led to the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and director-general Tim Davie, and The New York Times described the episode as «one of the worst crises in its 103-year history» of the BBC.
Trump's legal team responded sharply to the broadcaster. A spokesperson said the «formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.» The spokesperson added that the BBC has «a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump» and said the lawsuit is «holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference.» The BBC declined a request for comment.
The dispute now turns on whether the president can be required to testify in a case he initiated. The judge's warning signals that the court is losing patience with the delay, and the October hearing could determine whether Trump must sit for questioning or face penalties as the discovery deadline approaches.
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