Trump’s US$10 billion BBC defamation suit headed for 2027 trial
Florida judge sets a February trial date over claims the broadcaster ‘deceptively’ edited the US president’s January 6 speech
A federal judge in Florida on Thursday set a February 2027 trial date for US President Donald Trump’s US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
Trump filed the suit against the British broadcaster last year over the editing of his speech ahead of the US Capitol riot in a documentary on the flagship BBC current affairs show Panorama.
Trump alleges that the BBC’s editing of his January 6, 2021 speech made it appear that he had explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
District Judge Roy Altman set a February 15, 2027 date for a jury trial in the case, the latest of several brought by the litigious Trump against the media.
The judge, a Trump appointee, also ordered the president and the BBC to participate in a mediation process by November 3.
The Republican president is seeking “damages in an amount not less than US$5,000,000,000” for each of two counts against the BBC, for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.