Florida judge lets Trump's $10bn BBC defamation case proceed
Judge Jeffrey Kuntz dismissed a separate claim under Florida's consumer protection law and left whether Trump can prove damage for trial.
A federal judge in Florida has allowed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the BBC to go ahead, refusing the broadcaster's request to dismiss a case that tests whether a US court will rule on how a foreign news organisation edited a speech by the American president.
Judge Jeffrey Kuntz issued the order on Tuesday. He dismissed a second claim in the same lawsuit, brought under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, finding that the Panorama documentary did not amount to commercial speech.
Kuntz did not decide whether Trump's allegations are true. "Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day," he wrote.
The case concerns a Panorama episode that edited together two sections of a speech Trump gave outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021, before his supporters stormed the building. Trump's lawsuit accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring" the speech. The BBC has apologised, saying the broadcast gave "the mistaken impression that Trump made a direct call for violent action".
Trump called the ruling a "huge victory" in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday. A BBC spokesperson said: "We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage." The spokesperson added that the broadcaster remained confident in its position and would keep responding through the legal process.
The BBC had argued that the programme did not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the United States. Earlier this year, Trump's lawyers conceded they had no evidence the documentary was shown in the US on the BBC's BritBox subscription service, its website, BBC Select or through US broadcasters. Trump later agreed to drop BBC Studios, the corporation's commercial arm, from the lawsuit.
The BBC reported the lawsuit as seeking $10bn (£7.5bn). Dawn described the claim as at least $5bn each on the defamation count and the Florida consumer law count.
Last month a judge ordered Trump to answer questions under oath by 11 December, after the president cancelled an earlier deposition, citing "matters of national importance". A lawyer for the BBC told the court that Trump had been campaigning in Georgia on the day originally scheduled and had put that first.
How the reports differ
The BBC reported the suit as a $10bn claim and was alone in quoting Trump's "huge victory" post and the BBC's own response, and in noting that a judge has ordered the president to answer questions under oath by 11 December. Dawn framed the money differently, describing at least $5bn sought on the defamation count and at least $5bn on the Florida consumer protection count. Reuters, CNA and The Straits Times reported only that the judge had allowed the case to proceed, without the detail carried by the BBC and Dawn.
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