US judge orders Trump to testify in BBC defamation case by Dec 11

A US judge has ordered former President Donald Trump to testify under oath in a US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by December 11. Judge Enjolique Lett in Miami issued the order after the broadcaster complained that Trump had refused to sit for a deposition, including cancelling a previously agreed date of October 16.

If Trump fails to attend the deposition, he risks sanctions, including dismissal of his lawsuit. Trump has accused the BBC of deceptively editing a documentary to make it seem as if he was inciting violence during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The BBC has apologized for the incident but denies causing Trump any real injury and seeks to have the case dismissed.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025 and is seeking at least US$5 billion on each of two counts.

Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.