A U.S. judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a Trump BBC deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster, or risk sanctions. The order was issued on October 22 by Judge Enjolique Lett in Miami, according to The Hindu (IN).
If Trump does not attend by the deadline, he risks sanctions, including dismissal of his lawsuit, the court said, according to BBC World. The order followed a complaint from the BBC that Trump had refused to sit for a deposition, including cancelling a previously agreed October 16 date, according to The Hindu (IN).
Trump alleges that the BBC deceptively edited its Panorama documentary "Trump: A Second Chance" to make it seem he incited violence before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to Al Jazeera. The BBC has apologised for the error, which it said gave the mistaken impression that Trump made a direct call for violent action. It denies causing Trump real injury, according to BBC World.
The BBC has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. It argues the programme does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US, according to BBC World. In July, Trump’s lawyers conceded they had no evidence the documentary was available in the US through BBC platforms or US broadcasters, according to the same report.
Trump filed the suit in December 2025 and seeks at least $5 billion on each of two counts, according to The Hindu (IN). The BBC’s head and top news executive resigned after the controversy, according to Al Jazeera. Trump also has other media suits, including a $10 billion case against The Wall Street Journal and a $15 billion case against The New York Times and Penguin Random House, according to Al Jazeera.
The two sides give competing accounts of the missed October 16 deposition. BBC lawyer Charles Tobin told the court that Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day and "prioritised" party politics over the deposition, according to BBC World and Al Jazeera. Trump’s lawyers say he was not avoiding the deposition and was constrained by "matters of national importance," according to The Hindu (IN) and BBC World.
Several points remain unclear. No court document or independent source confirms whether the discovery period will be extended, which the order depends on. Trump’s lawyers have proposed a January 11 to 22 window, which falls after the December 11 deadline, and sources do not say how the court will treat it. Only BBC World reports that the BBC says two months remain in discovery, and no other outlet confirms this. No response to the ruling from Trump or his legal team is included beyond their earlier filing.
Trump must sit for the deposition by December 11 unless the discovery period is extended, or he faces possible dismissal of his lawsuit. The BBC’s motion to dismiss remains pending.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.