Judge rules Trump’s $10bn BBC defamation suit can proceed
A US judge has permitted President Donald Trump's $10bn defamation lawsuit against the BBC to move forward, rejecting the broadcaster's motion to dismiss the case.
The lawsuit centers on a BBC documentary titled Trump: A Second Chance? that aired in October 2024. Trump alleges the broadcaster deceptively edited his January 6, 2021 speech, combining clips taken 55 minutes apart to make it appear he was directly calling for violence at the US Capitol. The president maintains he never instructed supporters to commit violence and that the documentary omitted his calls for peaceful protest.
Judge's ruling
Jeffrey T Kuntz, a Trump-appointed federal district judge in Florida, issued a 40-page ruling on Tuesday partially dismissing the BBC's motion to dismiss the case. The judge determined that Trump's claim that the BBC damaged his reputation and knew or should have known the clip was misleading was 'plausibly alleged' or credible. However, the decision did not establish whether Trump has proven these claims.
We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage. We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process.
BBC's admission
The BBC admitted the edit was misleading and apologized to Trump on November 13, 2025, a month before he filed the lawsuit. In seeking dismissal, the broadcaster argued its edits merely condensed a 70-minute speech, a position the judge rejected. Despite the admission, the broadcaster continues to deny it defamed the president.
Legal consequences
The original lawsuit, filed in December 2025, sought $5bn in damages each for defamation and violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The judge threw out the second claim on Tuesday. Trump faces a court-ordered December 11 deadline to testify under oath or risk having his lawsuit dismissed. He previously skipped a scheduled October deposition to campaign for midterms.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called the ruling a 'huge victory against Fake News BBC'. The dispute over the edited speech prompted a public relations crisis for the BBC, leading to the resignations of its two most senior executives.
Broader legal strategy
The BBC case is part of Trump's wider legal campaign against media organizations. He has filed similar lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal ($10bn), The New York Times and Penguin Random House ($15bn), and attempted to ban CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House. His suit against The Wall Street Journal was dismissed in October, though he has appealed.
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