Judge Orders Trump to Sit for Questioning in $10Billion Lawsuit Against BBC — or Risk Having Case Tossed Out
President Trump has been ordered to sit for questioning in his lawsuit against the BBC.
Oct. 23 2026, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump has been ordered to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his $10billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC or risk having the case dismissed, RadarOnline can report.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order during a hearing in Miami on October 22, after BBC lawyers complained that Trump had repeatedly delayed questioning.
'We Still Haven't Been Able to Depose the Plaintiff'
Trump appears to be avoiding questions for the court for $10billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the court, "We still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff." The two sides had agreed to an October 16 deposition, but Trump canceled, citing a "matter of national importance."
Tobin said Trump was campaigning in Georgia at the time and "prioritized that over sitting for the deposition."
Lett warned that missing the new deadline could bring sanctions, including dismissal of the lawsuit, unless the discovery period is extended beyond December 18.
Why Trump Sued the BBC
BBC Panorama documentary got the British news publication in legal trouble with Trump.
Trump filed the lawsuit in Florida in December 2025 over a BBC Panorama documentary that edited portions of his January 6, 2021, speech.
The program spliced sections together in a way that made it appear he urged violence at the Capitol. The BBC apologized for the edit but denies defaming him.
The controversy led to the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
The broadcaster has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing the documentary never aired in Florida or elsewhere in the United States and that Trump cannot meet the "high bar of actual malice" required for a public figure.
BBC lawyers also contend he "cannot plausibly claim that the documentary harmed his reputation" because he won the 2024 election a week after it aired and carried Florida by a wide margin.
The motion added, "Indeed, the documentary was prescient in accurately describing the loyalty plaintiff enjoys among his supporters, and that led to his return to the White House."
Repeated Delays
Trump sued the publication for defamation.
According to an October 13 court filing, BBC lawyers first requested deposition dates in July and repeatedly followed up before locking in October 16.
Trump's lawyer later informed them that "the President is no longer available for his deposition on October 16 due to other matters of national importance" and promised a new date that never came.
"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," Tobin wrote.
Family Subpoenas and Jack Smith
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BBC wants to subpoena former special counsel Jack Smith
The BBC is also seeking testimony from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr., arguing that the two eldest children were with Trump as he revised and delivered the January 6 speech and that Kushner drafted an unissued statement condemning the Capitol violence.
Trump's lawyers called the effort "politically-driven leverage."
Attempts to serve the family failed earlier this year, and on October 9, Judge Lett authorized service by certified mail and email.
The parties are also fighting over a BBC subpoena to former special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump's team argued Smith "lacks any personal knowledge regarding the issues in this matter," and was not present for the speech or its preparation.
The BBC countered that Smith is "a more authoritative source" after years of investigation and noted, "No one forced Plaintiff to file this lawsuit and to dispute that his speech on January 6 incited the violence that followed at the Capitol."
