Trump's $10B BBC battle hits new hurdle as judge warns lawsuit could be tossed
WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump vs British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) lawsuit has hit a fresh roadblock as a federal judge warned that President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the outlet could be dismissed.
Trump filed his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC in 2025 in a federal court in Miami, Florida, accusing the outlet of defamation and editing his January 6, 2021, speech in a documentary ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
Court says Trump's case against BBC could be dismissed
The Miami federal judge on Thursday, October 22, said if Trump does not work harder to produce information the news outlet is entitled to in the case, the lawsuit could be dismissed, including sitting for a deposition.
“Engaging in discovery is burdensome, but is a burden we undertake, especially if we file a lawsuit,” Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett told personal attorneys for Trump at a hearing.
Lett also backed the BBC’s subpoena for membership records at Mar-a-Lago.
Lett questioned whether Trump and his team had done enough to search for internal documents related to the case.
“I tend to agree with the defendant that it strains credulity that a thorough search has been in order to determine that all of the requests have been responded to,” she said.
Court gives Trump deposition deadline in BBC lawsuit
The court also ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11, meaning he will have to answer questions under oath in the case. However, the judge and both sides said the date could be pushed back.
The hearing also seemingly showed the risks Trump faces by filing lawsuits. His legal cases can expose him and his businesses to scrutiny from the people or companies he is suing.
Trump filed the lawsuit against the BBC in December 2025. He alleges he was defamed by the media company with a documentary on his political comeback that aired before the 2024 election.
The lawsuit claims the BBC maliciously spliced together two separate parts of Trump's January 6, 2021, speech to make it appear as though he directly incited his supporters to attack the US Capitol.
In total, the BBC has issued at least 47 subpoenas to former and current government officials, as well as private advisers in Trump’s circle, who had a window into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election – including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, former Attorney General Bill Barr, and former White House counsel Pat Cipollone.
