Judge Orders Trump to Testify Under Oath in $10 Billion BBC Lawsuit or Face Dismissal

A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump on Thursday, October 22, to answer questions under oath by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, threatening to dismiss the case if he fails to comply.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order during a hearing in Miami after BBC attorneys accused Trump of delaying his deposition, including canceling an October 16 appearance that his lawyers attributed to matters of national importance. The broadcaster countered that Trump spent that day attending political events in Georgia.

BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the court that his team had been seeking the president's testimony since July. Both sides eventually agreed on October 16, but Trump's lawyers canceled the appearance on September 28 and later proposed rescheduling it for January 2027, beyond the December 18 deadline for completing discovery.

Trump's attorney Alejandro Brito defended the president's scheduling constraints, arguing that his responsibilities extend beyond events publicly listed on his calendar. Lett ordered the deposition to proceed by December 11 unless U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, who oversees the lawsuit, extends the discovery period.

The ruling requires Trump to submit to questioning in a case he initiated, with dismissal among the possible sanctions if he fails to comply. A deposition is sworn testimony taken before trial as attorneys gather evidence and examine the claims made by the parties.

The judge also rejected Trump's attempt to block video recording of his deposition, allowing the seven-hour questioning to be preserved on video for use in the litigation.

Trump sued the BBC in December 2025 over a Panorama documentary that combined separate portions of his January 6, 2021, speech before the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The editing made it appear that he directly urged supporters to march to the Capitol and engage in violence, although the remarks had been delivered at different points in the speech.

Although the BBC acknowledged that the edit was misleading and apologized, it maintains that the broadcast did not amount to defamation. Trump alleges that the documentary damaged his reputation and violated Florida's law against unfair and deceptive trade practices.

His defamation claim requires proof of actual malice, meaning the BBC knew its portrayal was false or acted with reckless disregard for its accuracy. The president is seeking $10 billion in damages, placing the extent of any harm to his reputation at the center of the litigation.

The court also addressed complaints from BBC attorneys that Trump's legal team had provided largely public documents or material already in the broadcaster's possession. Lett ordered additional relevant records to be produced within 30 days, warning that continued failures to comply could trigger sanctions.

In another ruling, Lett allowed the BBC to obtain membership applications, fees and other records from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida covering January 2020 through January 2026. The broadcaster argues that the information could help determine whether the documentary harmed the president's reputation or business interests.

Trump's attorneys objected, arguing that the club's operations fall outside his official responsibilities. Lett found the records sufficiently connected to his professional reputation to permit their production.

Former special counsel Jack Smith has also been drawn into the discovery dispute after the BBC subpoenaed him over his investigation of Trump's conduct surrounding the 2020 election and January 6. The broadcaster argues that evidence gathered during those investigations could help establish Trump's intentions and the circumstances surrounding his speech.

Trump's lawyers oppose the subpoena, arguing that Smith lacks firsthand knowledge of the president's remarks and that his previous reports and testimony already address the relevant issues. The dispute remains unresolved.

A separate motion to dismiss challenges whether the Florida federal court has jurisdiction over Trump's lawsuit, with the BBC arguing that the documentary was neither broadcast nor distributed in the United States. That challenge could determine whether the case proceeds in federal court in Florida as the parties approach the December 18 discovery deadline.