The BBC filed a motion to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit on Monday over the network’s edit of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in the Panorama documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?”
In its court filing, the BBC’s lawyers argued that Trump “cannot plausibly claim that the documentary harmed his reputation” since he won the election after the documentary’s release. It also stated that the president can’t prove that the 12-second clip in the hour-long documentary was intended to create a false impression.
“Indeed, nothing better reflects how President Trump’s supporters understood his remarks than their own statements, and over 100 defendants charged with offenses related to January 6 told the courts that they interpreted President Trump’s remarks as a call to action,” the filing states.
In addition to filing a motion to dismiss, the BBC has also “challenged jurisdiction” of the Florida court.
“We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us. Put simply — the documentary was never aired in Florida — or the U.S. It wasn’t available to watch in the U.S. on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms including BritBox and BBC Select,” a BCC spokesperson told TheWrap. “We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the President’s claim.”
Trump targeted the British public broadcaster in November over the documentary, threatening a $1 billion lawsuit unless BBC leadership retracted the program, issued an apology and agreed to “appropriately compensate” Trump for damages done by a set deadline.
In December, Trump followed through on his threat, claiming in a lawsuit that the BBC “intentionally, maliciously and deceptively” doctored his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in Washington, D.C. in a “brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
The complaint, which is seeking $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion for violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, alleges that the clip was edited to appear as if the president was calling on his voters to “walk down to the Capitol” and “fight like hell” moments before the violent insurrection took place. The documentary, which aired Oct. 28, 2024 ahead of the November presidential election, also edited out Trump saying, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
On Nov. 13, the BBC apologized for the edits to his Jan. 6, 2021, speech in Washington, acknowledging it created “the mistaken impression” that Trump had “made a direct call for violent action.” However, the BBC stopped short of admitting the edits were defamatory.
The broadcaster also pulled the documentary from all streaming platforms and stated it will not be rebroadcast. Additionally, former BBC director general Tim Davies and head of news Deborah Turness resigned over the fallout of the edit.
If the BBC’s motion to dismiss is unsuccessful, the matter will be heard by a judge during a two-week trial set to take place in February 2027.
