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A US judge has mandated that President Donald Trump must provide sworn testimony by December 11th in connection with his defamation lawsuit against the BBC. The case revolves around a Panorama episode which combined separate sections of a speech delivered by Trump prior to the 2021 Capitol riot. Trump had previously canceled a scheduled deposition on October 16th, citing “matters of national importance” as the reason for his absence.
However, the BBC’s legal counsel countered this claim during a Miami court hearing, stating that Trump was actually engaged in campaigning in Georgia that day and had prioritized those activities over the deposition. Currently, Trump’s lawsuit is in the discovery phase, a period during which both parties exchange relevant documents and evidence. Charles Tobin, representing the BBC, emphasized that with just two months remaining in discovery, Trump had yet to complete his deposition.
Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued a directive requiring Trump to complete his deposition by December 11th or face potential sanctions. Among the possible consequences is the dismissal of the lawsuit unless an extension of the discovery deadline is granted. Depositions, which involve sworn out-of-court testimonies recorded by court reporters, play a crucial role in US legal proceedings. They usually occur in lawyers’ offices without a judge present, and in defamation cases, lawyers from both sides typically attend.
After the previously scheduled deposition did not take place, lawyers requested that Judge Lett compel Trump to appear. On the day of the missed deposition, Trump attended a campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, followed by a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In a filing submitted on Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys proposed that he could appear for deposition between January 11th and 22nd of the following year, and argued against the BBC’s assertion that the former president was avoiding his deposition.
Trump’s lawsuit, filed in Florida, alleges that the BBC deliberately and deceptively edited his January 6th speech to create a false impression that he was calling for violent actions. The BBC has apologized for the mistake, acknowledging that the broadcast inaccurately suggested a direct incitement of violence. The broadcaster has since sought dismissal of the lawsuit, contending that the program does not meet defamation standards and was not accessed by US viewers.
In July, Trump’s legal team conceded they lacked proof the documentary was available in the US on platforms such as the BBC’s BritBox subscription service, the BBC website, BBC Select, or through any US broadcasters, despite earlier claims. Eventually, Trump agreed to drop the suit against BBC Studios, the commercial division, which the BBC clarified had no involvement in producing the Panorama episode
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