BBC Seeks to Compel Trump’s Deposition in $10 Billion Lawsuit

By Staff, Agencies

The BBC has asked a Florida federal judge to compel US President Donald Trump to set a firm date for sworn testimony in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster, accusing his legal team of delaying his deposition as the case moves toward trial.

In a court filing submitted Tuesday, the BBC’s lawyers said Trump’s legal team had previously agreed to a deposition on October 16.

However, they said his lawyers informed them late last month that the date was no longer possible and proposed postponing the testimony until January.

The BBC is asking the court to address the dispute at a hearing scheduled for October 22, which will also cover other procedural matters in the case.

“Nearly eight months into discovery, after seven depositions of BBC witnesses, and with only two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” the broadcaster’s lawyers wrote.

The trial is scheduled to begin in February 2027. Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025, seeking at least $5 billion in damages for each of two counts, bringing his total claim to at least $10 billion.

The case centers on a BBC documentary that edited together two separate portions of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, delivered before his supporters stormed the US Capitol. The disputed editing made it appear that Trump had explicitly urged his supporters to attack the Capitol.

The BBC has apologized for the editing, which prompted the resignation of several senior executives. However, the broadcaster disputes that the documentary caused Trump any real injury and has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.