A federal judge on Thursday ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his $10bn defamation lawsuit against the BBC, which has accused the US president of stalling to avoid answering questions under oath, the Associated Press reported.
Trump is suing Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster for at least $10bn over a misleadingly edited clip of a speech. The case is one of several Trump has privately filed against the news media as part of a wider pressure campaign against coverage he dislikes.
US magistrate judge Enjolique Lett ordered Trump to take questions from the BBC’s lawyers under oath in a ruling from the bench at a court hearing on Thursday, according to the AP. Trump cancelled a deposition in October, citing conflicts with his presidential duties.
Representatives for Trump’s legal team and the BBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s lawsuit filed in December in Florida federal court accuses the BBC of intentionally misleading viewers into thinking he directed supporters to storm the US Capitol by splicing together different parts of a January 6 2021 speech.
The BBC admitted the edits were misleading and apologised to Trump, though it denies being liable for defamation.
In court filings, the broadcaster has accused Trump and his lawyers of dragging their feet in response to their requests for records and other information that is exchanged between parties in a process known as discovery.
The BBC is seeking financial records from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and the web of business entities associated with him, saying the information is necessary to defend against Trump’s damages claims.
Trump’s lawyers say the requests are too broad and irrelevant to the case. They have also denied in court filings that Trump is avoiding a deposition, saying Trump’s duties and security needs must take precedence.
The edited speech appeared in a BBC Panorama documentary show shortly before the 2024 presidential election, which Trump won.
A leaked internal BBC memo cited the edits as evidence of potential political bias, sparking a public relations crisis for the broadcaster and leading to high-level resignations.
BBC director-general Tim Davie and the CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, resigned following the accusations of bias at the British broadcaster.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.