President Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion BBC defamation case by Dec. 11, a judge ruled on Thursday.
The update from U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett comes a week after the president canceled his planned Oct. 16 deposition date due to a “matter of national importance,” though he was actually just campaigning in Georgia.
“He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,” BBC attorney Charles Tobin said in a statement, further noting the broadcaster’s lawyers “still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff” with just two months of discovery remaining.
Discovery for the lawsuit is currently scheduled to end on Dec. 18, though that could be pushed back. Trump has been threatened with sanctions and even a possible dismissal of his lawsuit if he does not agree to be deposed by Dec. 11, with the BBC claiming he is trying to delay his appearance until January 2027.
Trump sued the BBC for $5 billion back in December 2025, alleging that a “false, deceptive and defamatory” edit of its “Panorama” documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” gave the impression he encouraged violence ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He is seeking another $5 billion under Florida’s deceptive trade practices law.
The British broadcaster has apologized for the editing, but denied that it defamed Trump — considering he still won his re-election. However, the BBC has notably revamped its senior staffing in the time since.
Earlier this week, the BBC also filed to depose former special counsel Jack Smith, on the basis that he may have evidence relevant to the president’s Jan. 6 intent.
