BBC accuses Trump of dodging deposition in US$10bil defamation suit

BBC requests judge to force US President Donald Trump to set a specific date for his sworn testimony in a US$10-billion defamation lawsuit, according to court filings. Trump's legal team had originally agreed to be deposed on Oct 16, but later proposed moving the date to January, the BBC's legal team stated in a court filing. The BBC has asked the Florida federal court to compel Trump to set a deposition date and to address the issue during an October 22 hearing focused on other procedural matters.

The defamation case, which centers around the BBC's editing of a Trump speech before his supporters' attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, is scheduled for trial in February 2027. The BBC is seeking at least US$5 billion each for two counts, but Trump's team has denied any real injury caused by the incident. Despite a recent apology from the broadcaster for the editing, which led to the resignation of several senior executives, the BBC maintains it has not caused Trump any significant harm and has moved for the case to be dismissed.