US court orders Trump to testify in BBC lawsuit by December

Court ruling on presidential deposition

On 22 October, US federal magistrate judge Engerlyk Lett issued a ruling requiring Donald Trump to provide sworn testimony by 11 December 2026. This concerns his own lawsuit against the BBC corporation for $10 billion. Previously, the president cancelled a deposition scheduled for 16 October, citing "matters of national importance". Instead of participating in court proceedings, he attended a campaign rally in the state of Georgia and a party event at the Mar-a-Lago residence. The court warned of possible sanctions, up to the dismissal of the case, if the obligation is ignored.

Reasons for the legal dispute

The $10 billion lawsuit was filed by Trump in December 2025. The trigger was a documentary film by the BBC Panorama programme titled "Trump: A Second Chance?". This episode used edited fragments of his 6 January 2021 speech, creating the impression of a direct call for violence before the Capitol attack. The president characterised this editing as an intentional defamatory act and interference in the 2024 presidential elections.

It is worth noting that the BBC acknowledged the error and apologised for the incident. Following the scandal, the corporation's chief executive and the head of the news division resigned. Despite this, the broadcaster rejects the defamation allegations.

Parties' positions and procedural details

BBC lawyer Charles Tobin stated that the defence had been trying to organise the plaintiff's deposition for months but had not received his testimony. Trump's lawyers proposed postponing the procedure to January 2027 and opposed video recording. The judge denied the request for a postponement and allowed the testimony to be recorded on video. The discovery phase ends on 18 December; only a district judge can change this deadline.

In addition, the court granted the BBC the right to request information about membership in Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago, for the period from 2020 to 2026. This includes the number of applications and the cost of admission. The defence plans to use this data to verify the reputational damage claimed by the president. Trump's lawyers object to this, arguing that the club's popularity does not reflect his personal reputation.

Additional aspects of the case

Within the scope of this proceeding, the BBC also seeks testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated the events of 6 January. Trump's team opposes Smith's deposition.

By 11 December, the president must answer questions from the lawyers of the company against which he himself filed a $10 billion lawsuit. In the event of non-compliance with this obligation, he risks losing the opportunity to seek compensation through this lawsuit.