British broadcaster, BBC plans to request a US federal court in Florida to reject a $10-billion lawsuit filed by Donald Trump, according to court papers filed this week. Trump sued the BBC last year over a documentary that edited parts of a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, just before the US Capitol riot.
Why Trump is suing BBC?
The lawsuit says the documentary made it look like Trump directly told his supporters to attack the Capitol. Trump claims the BBC joined together different parts of his speech in a misleading way. He is asking for “damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000 for defamation and another $5,000,000,000 for unfair trade practices” under Florida law. His lawsuit calls the edited speech “fabricated” and accuses the BBC of “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 election “to President Trump’s detriment”.
What is BBC’s argument?
In papers filed in federal court in Miami, BBC lawyers said they will “move to dismiss the complaint” because the court does not have “personal jurisdiction”.
They argue Trump cannot prove the documentary caused him any real harm. The papers say he claimed only vague “harm to his professional and occupational interests” and could not “ultimately prove actual damages”. The BBC lawyers also point out that Trump won the 2024 election after the documentary aired.
“He won re-election on November 5, 2024, after the documentary aired. He carried Florida by a commanding 13-point margin, improving over his 2020 and 2016 performances,” the court filing says.
Where and when the documentary aired
The documentary, titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”, aired before the 2024 election but not in the United States. BBC says it did not make or broadcast the programme in Florida. Its lawyers also deny Trump’s claim that it was available in the US on the BritBox streaming service. They will also argue Trump has failed to “plausibly allege” that the BBC acted with malice.
BBC apologised to Trump
BBC has apologised to Trump for the way the speech was edited. Its chairman, Samir Shah, sent Trump a letter of apology last year and later told a UK parliamentary committee the BBC should have acted faster once the mistake was known. The controversy led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and the BBC’s top news executive, Deborah Turness. Even so, the BBC says it rejects claims of defamation and unfair trade practices.
BBC plans to formally ask the court to dismiss the case on March 17. It is also asking the judge to pause the discovery process, where both sides must hand over documents, until the court decides on the dismissal request.
“Engaging in unbounded merits-based discovery while the motion to dismiss is pending will subject defendants to considerable burdens and costs that will be unnecessary if the motion is granted,” wrote BBC lawyer Charles Tobin.
If the case is not dismissed, a trial date in 2027 has been suggested. 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.”