BBC revamps efforts to toss Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit

The BBC aired a documentary ahead of President Donald Trump's reelection campaign that he claimed sent a "false message" he encouraged Jan. 6 rioters.(CN) — The British Broadcasting Corporation cited jurisdictional issues in its latest attempt on Monday to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over a documentary about his 2024 reelection campaign.The mass media company argued that Florida’s federal court in Miami lacks jurisdiction to rule on the president’s claims because the documentary wasn’t produced in Florida or ever aired in the state.The BBC argues that Trump cannot point to a single person who viewed the documentary in Florida. It also claims it undertook significant efforts to stop people from viewing the documentary in the U.S. through unauthorized streaming channels.“These factors all support dismissal,” the BBC wrote. “It would be unduly burdensome for the BBC to defend itself in Florida. The BBC, its relevant employees, and its documents are in the U.K.”The BBC, represented by attorney Charles Tobin of D.C.-based firm Ballard Spahr, said allowing the litigation to proceed would upend personal jurisdiction jurisprudence and have massive implications for foreign companies with online presences.Additionally, Trump’s claims fail because he cannot plausibly show how he was harmed or that the documentary was published with actual malice, the BBC argues.After the documentary aired, Trump won his presidential reelection on Nov. 5, 2024. He carried Florida by a commanding 13-point margin that was an improvement from his 2020 and 2016 results.Moreover, when the documentary aired, Trump had already been charged on four counts over his purported efforts to overturn the 2020 election in an indictment containing various accusations about his connection to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.The BBC further argues that matters of public free speech and news coverage are protected by the First Amendment.It says the documentary contains protected expressions of opinion, including from Trump’s ardent supporters, and that it depicts hotly contested events tied to presidential elections, including Jan. 6, which have been the subject of extensive controversy and litigation.“The chilling effect here is clear, where plaintiff repeatedly sues the news media over coverage of his political career,” the BBC wrote.Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in Florida federal court in 2025, claiming the documentary — which aired a week before the 2024 presidential election — attempted to “interfere in and influence the election’s outcome to President Trump’s detriment.”The documentary included an edited portion of an over 70-minute speech he gave before the Jan. 6 riots that appeared to show the president directing supporters to attack.In the president’s view, the documentary defamed him by creating a “false message” that he fomented violence by using statements he made at the capitol including, “we’re going to walk down to the Capitol,” “and I’ll be there with you,” and “we fight, we fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”The BBC said the documentary focused on aimed to explain to U.K. audiences the bases for his support. It said the purpose of editing the clip of his speech was to better convey Trump’s message so that its audience could better understand how it had been received by the president’s supporters.“Even if the documentary is reasonably interpreted to report that plaintiff encouraged the crowd to violently storm the Capitol on January 6, that is an opinion on a matter of public concern, heavily protected under defamation law,” the media company wrote.Nothing better reflects how Trump’s supporters understood his remarks than the more than 100 defendants who were charged with offenses related to Jan. 6 and told the courts that they interpreted Trump’s remarks as a call to action, the BBC argues.BBC Chairman Samir Shah sent an apology to Trump shortly after the documentary’s release, admitting the clip was an “error of judgment.” Trump nevertheless sued the news outlet, seeking $10 billion in damages.The new filing comes after Trump scrambled to prevent disclosure of his assets when U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ordered him to turn over financial information from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust as part of a discovery request by the BBC. The trust contains at least 400 business entities, according to court documents, and the order seeks all tax returns, property listings and any other assets.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads