BBC Asks Judge to Force Trump to Sit for Deposition in $10bn Suit
After Trump's lawyers canceled a scheduled deposition and floated January dates, the BBC asks a Florida judge to compel his testimony.
What to know
- BBC asks a Florida federal judge to compel Trump to confirm a deposition date and location after his team canceled the agreed October 16 session.
- Trump's lawyers have suggested he would not be available until the second or third week of January, after the discovery deadline closes.
- Seven BBC witnesses have already been deposed, but with two months of discovery remaining Trump has not been scheduled at all.
- A discovery hearing before magistrate judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett on October 22 is expected to address the dispute.
Donald Trump US President, plaintiffBBC Defendant, British broadcasterEnjoliqué Aytch Lett US magistrate judgeTrump's legal team Plaintiff's counsel
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Magistrate judge set to hold discovery hearing touching on dispute — Magistrate judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett has scheduled a discovery hearing for October 22 that is expected to address whether Trump will be compelled to sit for the deposition.
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Trump's legal team defends the lawsuit as election-interference accountability
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team characterized the BBC's editing of the speech as malicious and part of a pattern of biased coverage, framing the lawsuit as holding the network accountable.
“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…”
— Spokesperson for Trump's legal team -
first by The New Republic, 1d ago · also The Independent, Yahoo News Canada, The Guardian, Guardian Media, New Republic
2 more headlines
- BBC asks judge to force Trump to sit for deposition in $10bn defamation lawsuit The Independent · 1d ago
- BBC asks judge to force Trump to sit for deposition as part of his $10bn lawsuit Guardian Business · 1d ago
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This is huge! The BBC just pushed back against Donald Trump after he cancelled his deposition in his own $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the network when their lawyers wanted to question him under oath, and have now asked a federal judge to intervene and make him testify
2 more of the top 3 · 13 posts in this stretch
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NEW: Citing 'other matters of national importance,' Trump cancels his pre-election deposition in defamation suit he filed over BBC documentary. He was to be questioned under oath on Friday. Trump's lawyers say he can't spare time for at least next 2 months
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The BBC is asking a federal judge in Florida to force Donald Trump to sit for a deposition as part of the president’s $10bn defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster. According to a Tuesday filing, the BBC and Trump’s legal team had agreed for him to be deposed on Friday. The BBC’s lawyers wrote to the judge that they have spent months…
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BBC files motion to compel Trump's deposition
In a Tuesday filing, the BBC's lawyers asked the federal judge to force Trump to confirm a deposition date and location, noting that seven BBC witnesses have already been deposed while Trump, the case's central figure, has not been scheduled at all with only two months of discovery left.
“Nearly eight months into discovery, after seven depositions of BBC witnesses, and with only two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself…”
— BBC's lawyers -
first by Politico, 1d ago · also Hindustan Times, Straits Times, The Hindu
3 more headlines
- Why did Donald Trump cancel his BBC defamation lawsuit deposition? Court filing reveals reason as network seeks judge’s intervention Hindustan Times · 1d ago
- BBC accuses Trump of dodging deposition in US$10 billion defamation suit Straits Times · 16h ago
- BBC accuses Trump of dodging deposition in $10-billion defamation suit The Hindu · 13h ago
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background
Trump's lawyers cancel his October 16 deposition — After months of negotiation over a secure location, Trump's legal team told BBC counsel he would not sit for the agreed Friday deposition, citing unspecified national business, and later suggested availability only in mid-to-late January.
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Trump files $10bn defamation suit against the BBC — Trump sued the BBC in Florida, accusing it of violating the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act over a Panorama documentary that edited together comments from his January 6, 2021 rally speech. The BBC has apologized for the error.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by GB News, 1d ago
1 more headline
- BBC Challenges Trump Team After Deposition Is Canceled NewsMax.com · 1d ago
What people are saying 9 voices from 2 sites · best of 13 · verbatim
- Today
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I think from memory less than 150 people watched it in the us it then turned out that they all used vpn meaning that they just used a server in the US and none if then where based there. The bbc have all the data as to where it was watched and think less than 100,000 people in total ever watched it
- Yesterday
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(in the run-up to the mid-terms) “The President is no longer available for his deposition on October 16 due to other matters of national importance,” Trump’s attorneys told lawyers for the BBC late last month, the network’s attorneys said in motion Tuesday. The BBC is asking a judge to force Trump to set a firm date to submit to questioning in the…
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 says the court can dismiss his case and award attorney fees and costs the BBC if this crap continues. Honestly, I'm guessing Trump is counting on that happening. Think about it. If he is put under oath there is no way this man can so much as fart without perjuring himself, so the deposition is to be avoided at…
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It's looking like the orange clown's attack on the BBC will obscurely fizzle out because he won't show up. One thing that has become abundantly clear in the last two years is that the courts have far too much patience with wealthy, serial bad faith litigants. There comes a time to just flip the bit and say no more from you. You abused it, so you…
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https://www. theguardian.com/media/2026/oct /13/bbc-trump-lawsuit-deposition
- Oct 13
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If anyone, anyone on Trump’s squad knew their arse from their elbow they could have told him this. Could be one of them did, he's not exactly known for listening to them. But then again he's probably fired every competent lawyer at this point (I'm surprised any lawyer works for him given his track record and how toxic the association is at this…
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The adults in the room are going to make Trump bend over, pull down his shit soaked diaper, while a red hot poker is shoved up his fat ass.
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The BBC is funded by the public, and under its charter it literally isn’t allowed to settle out of court without defending its case in court first. If anyone, anyone on Trump’s squad knew their arse from their elbow they could have told him this.
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Trump Cancels Deposition in BBC Case https:// politicalwire.com/2026/10/13/t rump-cancels-deposition-in-bbc-case/?ap=m