BBC attorneys have asked a federal judge in Florida to order Donald Trump to appear for a deposition in the $10 billion defamation case he brought against the network. According to The Guardian, a Tuesday court filing states that the sides had earlier settled on this Friday as the date for the session. Counsel for the BBC said they spent months pressing Trump’s representatives for a suitable site.
Trump’s lawyers notified the BBC’s team on September 28 that the president “is no longer available for his deposition on October 16 due to other matters of national importance.” They told the network they would quickly propose a substitute date, yet that step did not occur. They later indicated he could be free during the second or third week of January, past the cutoff for finishing discovery.
The BBC’s lawyers said they would protect the secrecy of any location chosen. Their motion told the court that “Plaintiff chose to file this lawsuit and, in doing so, he accepted the obligations of civil litigation.” It continued, “The BBC therefore asks the Court to compel Plaintiff to confirm a date for his deposition, notify the BBC of a secure location where such deposition is possible and any other logistics required to ensure Plaintiff’s safety, and sit for the deposition, as the core rules of discovery require.”
Discovery clock runs down with Trump deposition still unscheduled
Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett has placed a discovery hearing on the calendar for October 22. Attorneys expect the deposition dispute to come up then. The BBC’s filing pointed out that discovery has already lasted nearly eight months. Seven people from the BBC have given depositions, and roughly two months remain.
The network still lacks both a date and a schedule for questioning “the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” the motion stated. The network has also pointed out a problem with Trump’s lawsuit.
Trump sued the BBC in December 2025. The complaint alleges the broadcaster broke Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act by the way it edited a Panorama program. Editors joined together remarks Trump delivered at a January 6, 2021, rally. The BBC has said it is sorry for the mistake in the edit.
A spokesman for Trump’s legal team issued a statement defending the suit. “The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election,” the spokesman said.
He added that the BBC “has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own leftist political agenda.” The statement closed by saying President Trump’s “powerhouse lawsuit is holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”
The BBC’s papers argue that the person who starts a civil case must meet the ordinary duties of that process, including sitting for a deposition. Network lawyers said they are prepared to go forward as soon as a firm date and place are fixed. The October 22 hearing will let both sides explain their views on timing before the discovery window closes.
Published: Oct 14, 2026 11:00 am