Judge Orders Trump to Sit for Deposition by Dec. 11 in $10 Billion BBC Defamation Suit

A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition no later than December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, escalating a dispute over Trump's participation in his own case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique A. Lett, based in Miami, issued the order after the BBC informed the court that Trump had backed out of a previously scheduled deposition, with his lawyers citing "other matters of national importance."

The lawsuit, which Trump filed in December, accuses the BBC of defamation over a 2024 documentary that he claims deceptively edited footage of his January 6, 2021 speech to make it appear he encouraged the Capitol riot. The BBC has apologized for the editing but denies defamation, and two senior BBC executives resigned in connection with the controversy.

Judge Lett had already warned Trump over his lack of participation in the case before issuing the December 11 deadline. The judge stated that "the court has admonished plaintiff for his lack of participation to no avail" and warned that failure to comply going forward would lead to sanctions.