Judge orders Trump deposition in BBC defamation case

The BBC has complained about several delays in discovery related to the case brought by the president.MIAMI (CN) — President Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, a federal judge ruled Thursday.U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett set a deadline of Dec. 11, warning another delay could result in dismissal of the case.Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in Miami federal court last year over a documentary aired by the BBC that included an edited portion of a speech he gave before the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, that appeared to show the president directing supporters to attack.Trump claimed 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.”BBC chairman Samir Shah sent an apology to Trump shortly after the documentary’s release, calling the clip an “error of judgment.” Trump nevertheless sued the news outlet, seeking $10 billion in damages.Trump has repeatedly avoided his deposition since July, citing “matters of national importance.” The parties finally agreed on Oct. 16, but Trump cancelled a week prior, claiming no availability this year.The latest cancellation prompted the BBC to ask the judge to compel the president to comply in a motion filed last week.“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,” the BBC said in its motion. “There is hardly a more crucial and relevant piece of discovery in a defamation lawsuit than the deposition of the plaintiff. For that reason, a plaintiff’s unwillingness to sit for a deposition can be perilous to his claim.”The BBC also pushed back against Trump’s claims that national security matters prevented his deposition, he attended campaign events on Oct. 16, including a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.In response, Trump accused the BBC of a “pattern of improperly, prematurely, and unilaterally filing motions for discovery hearing” and not “taking into account the singular nature of his role in our system of government, the complexity of his schedule and the national security implications involved.”“Those matters include, but are not limited to, the conflict in Iran, unrest in other parts of the Middle East, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the White House accord on super intelligence and other matters that have significantly impacted the United States’ national security and economy,” he said.Trump also asked the court to bar video recording of the deposition, an unusual request rejected by Lett during Thursday’s hearing.Neither the BBC nor Trump responded to requests for comment by press time.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