Major update on Trump $10bn lawsuit against BBC | UK | News
Donald Trump sues BBC (Image: Getty)
US President Donald Trump’s $10bn (£7.32bn) libel lawsuit against the BBC will go to trial in 2027, a judge in Florida has said. The case will have a two-week trial at the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US Courthouse in Miami, starting February 15 next year.
Court documents state that the plaintiff is President Donald J Trump and the defendants are the British Broadcasting Corporation and others. The trial date came after a judge in Florida rejected the BBC’s application to delay discovery in the case. The BBC has taken legal steps to have the lawsuit filed regarding the editing of the Panorama program dismissed.
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Mr Trump is suing the BBC for libel over the splicing of two parts of a speech the US President gave in 2021 into an episode of Panorama broadcast in 2024.
Panorama was criticized late last year for the editing of the episode and was accused of giving the impression that the US President encouraged his supporters to attack the Capitol in 2021.
The episode included a clip from Mr. Trump’s speech on Jan. 6, 2021, in which he was seen telling: “We’re going to march to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we’re fighting. We’re fighting like hell.”
Mr. Trump is seeking up to $10 billion in damages in response to the editing of his speech, with his lawyers claiming it was “false and defamatory.”
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The case is being prepared for a hearing that will last two weeks. (Image: Getty)
The BBC had previously filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the Florida court did not have “personal jurisdiction” over the company, that the venue was “inappropriate” and that Mr. Trump had “not made a claim,” according to court documents.
The company argued that it did not create, produce or broadcast the documentary in Florida and that Mr Trump’s claim that the documentary was available in the US on the BritBox streaming service was untrue.
A BBC spokesman said: “As we have previously stated, we will defend this case. We will not be commenting further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
In November, the BBC apologized to Mr Trump, saying the edit “created the false impression that President Trump was directly calling for violent action”. However, he rejected the US President’s demands for compensation.
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The final court decision by Judge Roy K Altman was handed down on Wednesday, February 11.
Documents from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida state: “This matter will be heard during the court’s two-week hearing calendar, which begins on February 15, 2027. Attorneys for all parties will also be present at the calendar meeting on February 9, 2027, at 1:45 p.m.
“Unless otherwise provided by a subsequent order, the hearing and all other proceedings in this case will be held in courtroom 12-4, Wilkie D Ferguson Jr U.S. Courthouse, 400 N Miami Boulevard, Miami, Florida 33128.”
Parties must select a mediator and set a date, time and location for mediation by March 3, 2026.
“If the parties cannot agree on a mediator, they shall notify the clerk in writing as soon as the situation becomes clear, and the clerk shall appoint a certified mediator on a blind rotation basis,” the documents say.
