Judge allows Trump's $10B defamation lawsuit against BBC to proceed after dismissal bid rejected
WASHINGTON, DC: A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday, November 10, allowed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC to proceed, rejecting the broadcaster’s request to dismiss the case over an edited segment of his January 6, 2021, speech.
District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz ruled that Trump had presented a plausible claim that the BBC’s editing of the speech was defamatory. However, the judge dismissed a separate claim alleging the broadcaster violated Florida’s law on deceptive and unfair trade practices.
Judge finds Trump’s defamation allegations plausible over edited January 6 speech
Trump’s lawsuit accuses the BBC of “intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring” remarks he delivered outside the US Capitol shortly before his supporters stormed the building on January 6, 2021. The dispute centres on a Panorama documentary, titled ‘Trump: A Second Chance’, which aired ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The programme edited together two separate sections of Trump’s speech, creating the impression that he had directly called for violent action. The BBC subsequently apologised, acknowledging that the broadcast had given "the mistaken impression that Trump made a direct call for violent action". However, the broadcaster has denied that the programme amounted to defamation.
🚨 BREAKING: A federal judge just REJECTED the BBC's bid to throw out President Trump's defamation lawsuit over its doctored January 6 speech edit The defamation case is going FORWARD ‼️ Judge Jeffrey Kuntz: "Those cases involved a news entity reporting on a story. Here, the news entity created the story." "BBC admitted as much by confirming it had edited a video to make it appear as though President Trump made a statement he never made." "And it acknowledged it chose to release the video in a documentary only a week before the 2024 Presidential Election, at the time it would have the most impact." The judge found Trump plausibly alleged ACTUAL MALICE, the toughest standard in defamation law "Trump's claims extend beyond negligence and plead a claim of recklessness. That is more than enough." Make them pay for Trump's presidential center 🤣
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 10, 2026
In his ruling, Kuntz said that the editing could support an inference that the BBC acted with actual malice, a key issue in Trump’s defamation allegations. He rejected the broadcaster’s argument that the edits were ordinary measures to shorten a lengthy speech.
"On its face, the editing may independently establish the plausibility of actual malice," Kuntz wrote. "BBC tries to frame this editing as ordinary editing done to condense a seventy-minute-long speech into twelve seconds. But the Court is not persuaded."
The judge also referred to the time difference between the statements used in the documentary and the fact that the BBC had access to the full speech for nearly three years before the programme aired. "This was not trimming around the edges but creating something different than what was stated in the speech," he wrote.
Kuntz clarified that his decision did not establish whether Trump would ultimately prove his allegations or demonstrate that he suffered damages. "Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day," he wrote.
BBC says it remains confident as judge dismisses separate claim
The ruling also dismissed Trump’s claim under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Kuntz found that the documentary did not constitute commercial speech, rejecting that part of the lawsuit while allowing the defamation allegations to proceed.
Trump described the decision as a major victory in a Truth Social post, writing that “a Huge Victory against Fake News BBC, a terrible abuser of the truth, just handed down by highly respected District Court Judge, Jeffrey T. Kuntz, of the Southern District of Florida."
A Huge Victory against Fake News BBC, a terrible abuser of the truth, just handed down by highly respected District Court Judge, Jeffrey T. Kuntz, of the Southern District of Florida. In his powerful ruling, Judge Kuntz wrote, “Here, the news entity created the story. BBC admitted as much by confirming it had edited a video to make it appear as though President Trump made a statement he never made.” We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP ( TS: Nov 10 2026, 6:50 PM ET )
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) November 10, 2026
A BBC spokesperson also said that “we are surprised by this decision but respect the Court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage."
The broadcaster had sought dismissal of the case, arguing that the documentary did not meet the legal requirements for defamation and had not been distributed in the United States. A judge has also ordered Trump to answer questions under oath by December 11 after he cancelled an earlier scheduled deposition, citing "matters of national importance".
