Donald Trump drops part of $10 billion lawsuit against BBC | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has agreed to drop part of his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, ending claims against two BBC Studios companies while keeping his broader legal action against Britain’s public broadcaster open.
Donald Trump drops part of BBC $10 billion lawsuit but continues defamation case
According to court documents reported by The Telegraph, Trump withdrew his claims against BBC Studios Distribution and BBC Studios Productions, the BBC’s commercial distribution and production arm. The move leaves the British Broadcasting Corporation itself as the only remaining defendant in the case.
The court filing states: “All claims in this action against Defendant Studios are hereby dismissed with prejudice, with each party to bear its own costs and attorneys’ fees. President Trump will continue to pursue his claims against Defendant British Broadcasting Corporation.”
Trump filed a lawsuit in a Florida court in December alleging defamation and breach of business practices following a BBC Panorama documentary on the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
The complaint centers on a redacted excerpt of a speech Trump gave before the riots at the Capitol. Trump argues that the program cut his remarks to make it look like he said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’m going to be there with you. And we’re fighting. We’re fighting like hell.” He is demanding $10 billion in damages.
Controversy surrounding the documentary caused considerable uproar on television. BBC director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turnes resigned after criticism of the editing. The BBC later apologized for the segment, admitting that it had created a “mistaken impression” that Trump had “directly called for violent action”.
But the broadcaster continues to reject Trump’s claim for damages, saying there is no legal basis for the defamation case. She also argued that the documentary was neither broadcast nor made available in the United States, challenging one of the key claims in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the legal dispute could take on further significance after the Financial Times reported that the US government was considering intervening in the proceedings. According to filings reviewed by the newspaper, government lawyers informed the Florida court “that they are considering participating in this litigation.”
In response to the possibility, the BBC argued in a court filing that “the conflict of interest is clear and stark” if the US government became involved in the case.
The lawsuit against the BBC is still pending in a Florida court.
