Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in BBC defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11: Reports
Trump's lawyers had requested that his deposition be conducted between Jan. 11 and Jan. 22.
Key points
- A federal judge in Miami ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11.
- The judge warned that Trump's complaint could be dismissed if he does not comply with court orders to produce relevant records.
- Trump sued the BBC on Dec. 15 over a Panorama documentary aired a week before the 2024 presidential election, alleging it falsely depicted him urging supporters to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
A federal judge in Miami on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11, according to multiple news outlets. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order at a court hearing.
At the same hearing, Lett warned Trump's attorneys that his complaint could be dismissed if the president does not comply with court orders to provide records relevant to the lawsuit, Politico reported. Trump's lawyers had asked for the deposition to take place between Jan. 11 and Jan. 22.
Dispute over canceled deposition
Charles Tobin, the attorney for the BBC, told Lett that Trump had originally agreed to a deposition on Oct. 16 but canceled it for a "matter of national importance," The Associated Press reported. Tobin said Trump was in fact campaigning in Georgia that day.
Tobin told the judge that Trump "was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition." The BBC declined to comment on the hearing when contacted by CNBC.
Document dispute and the lawsuit
In a recent court filing, BBC lawyers accused Trump's legal team of delaying compliance with document requests during discovery. The filing said Trump had not tried to meet his discovery obligations with two months of discovery remaining, and that he had sent back documents the BBC already produced and searched the internet for public webpages.
Trump sued the BBC on Dec. 15, alleging the Panorama documentary "Trump: A Second Chance," aired a week before the 2024 presidential election, falsely depicted him urging supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol during his Jan. 6, 2021, speech. The BBC's chair apologized for the edit before the suit was filed, and the broadcaster promised not to air the documentary again.
