Trump Claims a ‘Huge Victory’ as Judge Refuses to Toss His $10 Billion Lawsuit Against the BBC
A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday refused to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, letting his claim over an edited Panorama documentary go forward, BBC News reported.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz denied the broadcaster’s motion on the defamation count but dismissed Trump’s second claim under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to the 40-page order.
Trump called the ruling a “huge victory” on Truth Social. “We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!” he wrote, the Guardian reported.
‘Creating Something Different’
The suit targets a Panorama episode that spliced together two parts of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech, delivered nearly 55 minutes apart, so he appeared to endorse violence, the Guardian reported.
“This was not trimming around the edges but creating something different than what was stated in the speech,” Kuntz wrote, Politico reported, noting the BBC had apologized before the suit.
“On its face, the editing may independently establish the plausibility of actual malice,” Kuntz wrote, according to the Guardian. “BBC tries to frame this editing as ordinary editing … But the Court is not persuaded.”
Kuntz also wrote that the BBC “created the story” and released the video a week before the 2024 election, “at the time it would have the most impact,” the order states.
He found Trump “plausibly pled damages” by alleging the documentary harmed his reputation heading into the election, the Guardian reported. The ruling gives a significant boost to Trump’s litigation against the media, Bloomberg Law reported.
The BBC Pushes Back
“We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court’s authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage,” a BBC spokesperson said. “We remain confident in our position.”
The ruling does not decide the merits. “Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day,” Kuntz wrote.
Trump, a public figure, must still prove actual malice at trial, and he will have to show actual damages from a documentary that was not broadcast in Florida, the Guardian reported.
Trump’s lawyers conceded earlier this year they had no evidence the documentary was available in the U.S. on BritBox or the BBC’s website, BBC News reported. Kuntz is a Trump appointee, the Washington Examiner noted.
The BBC must answer the defamation count by Dec. 1, according to the order. Separately, a magistrate judge has ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 or risk sanctions, the Guardian reported.
For a president who has made suing news outlets a signature fight, the ruling is an early win against a foreign broadcaster that has already apologized for the edit.
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