Trump BBC lawsuit: judge orders Trump deposition by December 11

Key takeaways

• In the Trump BBC lawsuit, a federal magistrate judge in Miami on Thursday, October 22, 2026, ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11, according to AP, CBS News and NBC News.
• The judge warned that failing to do so could bring penalties that may include dismissal of his $10 billion defamation case, unless the discovery period is extended.
• Trump had cancelled an agreed October 16 deposition, citing "matters of national importance"; his lawyers proposed January 2027 instead.
• The judge also backed a BBC subpoena for Mar-a-Lago membership records and allowed the deposition to be videotaped, NBC News reported.

Trump BBC lawsuit: what happened

In the Trump BBC lawsuit, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled in federal court in Miami on Thursday that Trump must answer the BBC's questions under oath by December 11. Failing to do so could bring penalties, including possible dismissal of his $10 billion defamation case.

According to AP and CBS News, Trump faces penalties if he does not comply, and those penalties could include dismissal of his lawsuit, unless the discovery period is extended beyond its current end date of December 18. AP reported that Lett said only the presiding judge in the case can change the trial schedule.

The ruling follows a request filed by the BBC in mid-October. The broadcaster told the court that Trump had agreed to be deposed on October 16 but withdrew days earlier. His lawyers wrote that he was "no longer available" on that date "due to other matters of national importance," according to The New Republic, which reviewed the filing.

At Thursday's hearing, BBC attorney Charles Tobin said the president had instead spent the day at a political rally and a fundraiser, according to NBC News. CBS News reported that the BBC said Trump spoke at a rally in Georgia that day and then attended a Republican National Committee event at Mar-a-Lago. Tobin said Trump "prioritized" those events over the deposition, AP reported.

Trump's legal team had argued he had no availability before discovery closes and proposed the second or third week of January. The BBC said that was too late. The White House referred questions to Trump's personal lawyers, who did not immediately respond, according to NBC News. The BBC declined to comment.

Key dates in the case

What we know and what we don't know yet

What we know

• The deposition must take place by December 11 unless the schedule changes, according to three independent reports.
• According to NBC News, Lett ruled the deposition may be videotaped, over objections from Trump attorney Alejandro Brito.
• Brito also argued that a BBC subpoena to Mar-a-Lago should be quashed because Trump is not claiming the documentary hurt the club's business. NBC News reported that Lett found the requested information on membership applications and fees "falls within" the material that should be produced.
• CNN reported that the judge warned the case could be dismissed in a dispute over records.

What we don't know yet

• The exact date and location of the deposition have not been announced. AP reported that the defence would be open to a later date if the trial schedule also moved.
• No ruling had been reported on the BBC's subpoena seeking testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith. Trump's lawyers argued Smith "lacks any personal knowledge" of the issues, AP reported.
• Trump's legal team had not publicly responded to the order at the time of writing.

Background: the Panorama edit

Trump's lawsuit alleges defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices over the Panorama programme, which spliced together separate passages of his January 6, 2021 speech near the White House, making it appear that he directly urged violence, according to AP. The suit describes the edit as a "false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction," NBC News reported.

The BBC has acknowledged the splicing and apologised. In November 2025 it said it "sincerely regrets" how the clip was edited, but it disputes that there is a basis for a defamation claim and says Trump suffered no damages. The controversy led to the resignations of the BBC's director-general and its head of news, AP reported. The broadcaster has also asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the documentary never aired in the US and that the Florida court lacks jurisdiction, according to The New Republic.

The case is one of several legal and political stories involving the president ahead of the November 3 midterm elections; see our coverage of the US-Canada election interference dispute, the "No Kings" protests and early voting, and Trump's comments on Iran.

What it means

In a defamation case, the plaintiff's own testimony is central. BBC lawyers wrote that Trump is "the most central figure in this case," CBS News reported, and Tobin argued that a plaintiff claiming billions in damages is the most important witness. The order puts the scheduling burden on Trump: if he does not sit for questioning by the deadline, the court can consider penalties against his own lawsuit.

The order also widens what the BBC can examine. Access to Mar-a-Lago membership data and a videotaped deposition would give the broadcaster material to test Trump's claim that the programme injured him "in his profession, occupation and trade." Both sides and the judge indicated the deadline could still move, so further scheduling filings are likely before December.

Sources

• AP via KSAT: Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11
• CBS News: Judge says Trump must sit for deposition in BBC defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11
• NBC News: Judge directs Trump to sit for deposition in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC
• CNN: Judge insists Trump must be deposed in his $10B lawsuit against the BBC
• The New Republic: BBC filing on the cancelled October 16 deposition
• BBC News: Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit