Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit
Trump is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave in 2021.
Key points
- A US judge has ordered Donald Trump to answer questions under oath by 11 December in his lawsuit against the BBC over a Panorama episode.
- Trump cancelled an earlier deposition on 16 October, citing "matters of national importance" while campaigning in Georgia.
- The BBC has apologised for the editing error and is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the programme does not meet defamation criteria and was not available in the US.
A US magistrate judge has ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by 11 December in his lawsuit against the BBC over a Panorama episode, unless the discovery period is extended. The judge, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, issued the order after Trump's lawyers asked the court to compel him to face questioning.
Trump is suing the BBC over the episode, which edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. The lawsuit, filed in Florida, accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech.
Cancelled deposition and scheduling
Trump cancelled a previously scheduled deposition on 16 October, citing "matters of national importance" while he was campaigning in Georgia. On that day he attended a midterms campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia and a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.
In a filing on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers said he could appear for the interview between 11 and 22 January next year. They also said the BBC was "wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action."
we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff
— Charles Tobin, lawyer for the BBC
BBC response and dismissal bid
The BBC apologised for the error and said the broadcast gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action." The broadcaster has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the programme does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US.
Trump's lawyers conceded in July that they had no evidence the documentary was available in the US on BritBox, the BBC's website, BBC Select or through US broadcasters, as they had originally claimed. Trump later agreed to drop the lawsuit against BBC Studios, the BBC's commercial arm, after the BBC argued it had "no role in creating or producing the documentary."
