A high-stakes legal fight between US President Donald Trump and the BBC is moving forward after a federal judge refused to throw out his multi-billion dollar defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.
Mr Trump alleges the BBC deceptively edited a documentary about the events of 6 January, 2021, to suggest he was inciting violence when he told supporters to march on the US Capitol.
In the lawsuit, he is seeking at least $5 billion (€4.44bn) for a defamation claim, and another $5 billion (€4.44bn) under a separate claim brought under a Florida consumer protection law.
US District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz rejected the BBC’s request to dismiss the defamation suit.
However, Judge Kuntz dismissed the Florida protection law claim.
“Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day,” Judge Kuntz wrote in a 40-page ruling.
Denial it caused any real injury
At the centre of the dispute is a BBC documentary that, according to the ruling, spliced together two different portions of Mr Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech, creating the impression he had directly urged supporters to attack the US Capitol.
The BBC has apologised for the incident, which led to the resignation of multiple senior executives, but it has maintained that the edit did not cause Mr Trump any real injury.
“Given the time disparity between the two statements, the distance itself tends toward a plausible inference that BBC knew or should have known that the segment they were creating would not and could not have been a truthful statement,” the judge said.
“This was not trimming around the edges but creating something different than what was stated in the speech.”
Mr Trump welcomed the decision in a Truth Social post, calling it “A Huge Victory”.
“We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!” he added.
The case has also produced procedural friction. Last month, Mr Trump suffered a setback when a magistrate judge ordered him to sit for a deposition by 11 December, after the BBC argued he was avoiding efforts to obtain sworn testimony.
The court said Mr Trump risks sanctions if he does not appear by then, including the potential dismissal of his lawsuit.
