US President Donald Trump files a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC in Florida over a 2024 documentary edit of his 2021 speech.
LONDON: US President Donald Trump has filed a USD 10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC in a Florida federal court.
The lawsuit centres on a 2024 Panorama documentary that edited his January 2021 speech preceding the US Capitol riot.
Trump’s legal team argues the edit deliberately spliced speech segments to falsely show him urging an attack on the Capitol.
The filing alleges this created a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction” of the president.
It claims the broadcast aimed to “interfere and influence” the 2024 presidential election, harming Trump’s reputation.
The BBC has apologised for the “mistake” but insists the defamation case has no legal basis and will be fought.
The broadcaster notes the documentary did not air in the United States and its streaming platform is geo-blocked outside the UK.
Trump’s lawyers counter that Florida residents could access it via VPNs or the BBC’s US distributor.
However, international rights holder Blue Ant confirmed “none” of its buyers “have aired it in the US”.
Legal experts suggest the BBC has a strong defence, citing the high bar to prove “actual malice” in US defamation law.
The lawsuit was filed in Florida, where Trump is a legal resident and where some documentary scenes were filmed.
The action misses the UK’s one-year libel deadline, prompting the US filing.
The case coincides with a sensitive UK government review of the BBC’s Royal Charter and funding model.
It also follows the resignation of BBC director general Tim Davie over the editorial mistake.
Commentators speculate legal costs or a settlement could pressure the BBC’s licence fee, funded by British taxpayers.
The broadcaster’s income fell 30% in real terms from 2010 to 2020, with over GBP 1 billion lost annually to fee evasion.
Trump has filed similar suits against CNN and The New York Times, which remain unresolved.
A settlement could damage the BBC’s reputation, according to former executive Mark Damazer.
In 2024, ABC News settled a Trump defamation case for USD 15 million, while CBS paid USD 16 million in July. – AFP
