Trump Ordered to Answer Questions Under Oath in $10 Billion BBC Lawsuit After Cancelling His Deposition

Donald Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath by 11 December in his $10 billion (£7.5 billion) lawsuit against the BBC, after he cancelled a deposition agreed for 16 October. US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué A. Lett set the deadline at a hearing in Miami on Thursday, 22 October 2026.

Lett also warned that the case could be dismissed if Trump's legal team does not produce documentation the BBC has a right to in order to defend itself. She said the 11 December date could be pushed back if the discovery period is extended beyond 18 December. Dismissal is a possible consequence, not an automatic one.

Trump Faces a December Deposition Ahead of February 2027 Trial

The order puts Trump's deposition back on the timetable as both sides continue gathering evidence. The trial is provisionally scheduled to begin in Miami on 15 February 2027 and is expected to last two weeks, according to an earlier federal court order.

At the hearing, BBC lawyer Charles Tobin said 'we still haven't been able to depose' Trump with two months left in the discovery period. 'Engaging in discovery is burdensome, but is a burden we undertake, especially if we file a lawsuit', Lett said, according to CNN.

Why the Judge Ordered Trump to Give Evidence by 11 December

Trump cancelled the 16 October deposition, saying he was unavailable because of 'matters of national importance', according to BBC News. BBC lawyers disputed that explanation. They told the court he was campaigning in Georgia that day and attended a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.

The BBC asked the court to compel him to attend after being unable to secure a replacement date. It argued that the delays limited its ability to gather evidence before the discovery deadline.

Trump's lawyers say the BBC was 'wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action'. In a filing on Wednesday, they said he could give evidence between 11 and 22 January 2027, after the current discovery deadline, according to Variety.

A spokesman for Trump's legal team said: 'The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.'

Why Trump Is Suing the BBC for $10 Billion

Trump filed the lawsuit in federal court in Florida in December 2025, seeking $10 billion (£7.5 billion) in damages over the BBC's editing of his 6 January 2021 speech before the US Capitol riot. The case concerns the Panorama documentary Trump: A Second Chance?, broadcast on 28 October 2024, shortly before the US presidential election.

The programme edited the speech to make it seem he said: 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.' Trump's complaint seeks $5 billion (£3.75 billion) for defamation and another $5 billion (£3.75 billion) over alleged violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Trump alleges that the broadcaster 'intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively' doctored his speech. He argues that the edit damaged his reputation and was intended to influence the 2024 election.

BBC Apologised for the Edit but Rejects Trump's Legal Claims

The BBC apologised in November 2025, acknowledging that the edit had given 'the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action'. The BBC has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the broadcast does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US, according to Variety.

In July, Trump dropped his claims against BBC Studios Distribution and BBC Studios Production, the broadcaster's commercial and production arms, after the BBC argued that they had 'no role in creating or producing the documentary'. He is still pursuing the litigation against the BBC itself.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.'

BBC director general Tim Davie and the CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, resigned on 9 November 2025, after a newspaper report suggested the documentary had misled viewers by editing the speech. Davie said the decision was 'entirely my decision', and that the debate around BBC News had 'understandably contributed' to it. He added that 'there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility'.

Turness said the Panorama controversy had reached a stage where it was 'causing damage to the BBC' and that 'the buck stops with me'. She said recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased were 'wrong'.