Trump's $10 Billion BBC Suit Faces Deposition Deadline

President Donald Trump must give a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11 or risk dismissal, a federal judge in Florida ordered Thursday. The schedule gives the case’s central witness a deadline just seven days before discovery closes on Dec. 18.

The Claim and the Witness

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order after BBC lawyers said Trump had delayed his deposition. He had been scheduled to testify on Oct. 16, but canceled, citing a “matter of national importance.” BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the judge Trump instead attended a political rally and fundraiser. “He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,” Tobin said.

Trump’s attorneys proposed moving the deposition to late January. Tobin objected: discovery closes Dec. 18, and January would be too late. He called Trump the most important witness because Trump says the BBC’s 2024 story caused billions of dollars in damages. The timing dispute, then, centers on both the scale of Trump’s claim and the court’s evidence-gathering deadline.

Lett ruled that lawyers could videotape the deposition, rejecting an objection from Trump attorney Alejandro Brito. She said the date could move if the district judge overseeing the case extends the discovery deadline. Only that judge, Jeffrey Kuntz, can extend it. Unless he changes the schedule, Trump must sit for questioning by Dec. 11.

A Lawsuit Over a Documentary

Trump sued the British news organization last year. He alleges it aired a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction” of him in a documentary that spliced together comments from his Jan. 6, 2021, speech at the Ellipse before the Capitol riot. The BBC acknowledged splicing the comments but says Trump wasn't defamed and suffered no damages.

Trump says the documentary aired in the days before the 2024 election. The BBC says the special was never shown in the United States. Those accounts conflict, while Trump maintains the BBC story caused billions of dollars in harm. Tobin says that claim makes Trump’s testimony central to the damages dispute.

Business Records and Damages

The BBC subpoenaed Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club for records on whether the documentary affected membership applications and fees, even though it didn't air in the United States. The subpoena seeks information about the club’s applications and fees as the parties dispute whether the documentary caused financial harm.

Brito argued the court should quash the subpoena because Trump wasn't claiming the program affected his business. Tobin responded that Trump’s suit says the documentary “injured President Trump in his profession, occupation and trade,” making the records relevant. Lett agreed the club information “falls within” the type of information that should be produced.

The BBC declined to comment. A spokesman for Trump’s personal legal team said: “President Trump’s powerhouse lawsuit is holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.” Trump must give his deposition by Dec. 11 unless Jeffrey Kuntz changes the discovery deadline.