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US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled from the bench on October 22 that President Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in his lawsuit against the BBC by December 11, Reuters reported. The order came after the broadcaster’s lawyers complained that Trump had stalled the process by canceling a scheduled appearance the previous month. With the discovery deadline set for December 18, the judge warned of potential sanctions up to and including dismissal of the case if the president does not comply, unless the timeline is extended by the overseeing judge.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2025 in Florida federal court, accuses the BBC of intentionally editing a Panorama documentary to mislead viewers about Trump’s speech delivered on January 6, 2021 before the US Capitol riot. According to court documents cited by the Financial Times, the editing combined two different sections of the address, giving the mistaken impression that he made a direct call for violent action. The BBC issued an apology for the error in judgment, stating that the broadcast had created an inaccurate portrayal.
Trump had canceled the October 16 deposition citing conflicts with matters of national importance while campaigning in Georgia, but BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the court that the president instead attended a political rally and other events that day. We still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff with two months remaining in the discovery period, Tobin said in the hearing. Trump’s legal team countered in a filing that he could be available between January 11 and 22 of next year and denied that he was avoiding the deposition.
Engaging in discovery is burdensome, but is a burden we undertake, especially if we file a lawsuit, the judge stated during the proceedings, as relayed by Variety. The court also permitted video recording of the seven-hour deposition despite objections from Trump’s side. This testimony under oath is expected to be used as evidence in the ongoing litigation.
A spokesman for Trump’s personal legal team described the BBC as having a long pattern of deceiving its audience in its coverage of the president. The statement, issued after the ruling, accused the broadcaster of defaming Trump through deceptive editing in a bid to interfere with the 2024 presidential election. It further positioned the lawsuit as part of efforts to hold media outlets accountable, according to reports from multiple outlets.
The BBC is seeking dismissal of the suit on the grounds that the Panorama program was never aired in the US, a jurisdictional argument that could be decided before the deposition occurs, the PBS NewsHour reported. A two-week trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on February 15, 2027 in Miami if the case advances. The developments mark the latest chapter in Trump’s legal battles with news organizations over their reporting.
