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US judge orders Trump to testify under oath in BBC defamation suit by Dec 11
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A US judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by 11 December. Trump is suing over a Panorama episode that edited together two sections of his 6 January 2021 speech before the Capitol riot. BBC lawyer Charles Tobin told the court the plaintiff had not yet been deposed with two months left in discovery. Trump cancelled a 16 October deposition, citing "matters of national importance" while campaigning in Georgia, and his lawyers proposed 11-22 January for the interview, denying he is avoiding it. The lawsuit, filed in Florida, accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech. The BBC apologised for the error, saying the broadcast gave the mistaken impression Trump made a direct call for violent action, and has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing it does not meet defamation criteria and was not available in the US.
Source report
By Bernd Debusmann Jr, White House reporter Updated 8 minutes ago
A US judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by 11 December.
Trump is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
Charles Tobin, a lawyer representing the BBC, said in court that "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff" with two months left in the discovery period.
Trump cancelled a previous deposition on 16 October, citing "matters of national importance" while he was campaigning in Georgia.
What Is a Deposition?
In US law, a deposition is an out-of-court statement made under oath in response to questions, which is recorded for use in later proceedings.
Judge's Ruling
The judge in the case, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, said that Trump must sit for the deposition by 11 December, unless the discovery period is extended.
Last week, attorneys asked that Lett compel Trump to face deposition after the last scheduled meeting did not take place.
On that day, Trump attended a midterms campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia and a fundraiser at his property in Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Trump's Legal Team Responds
In a separate filing on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers said that the president could appear for the interview between 11 and 22 January next year, and claimed that the BBC was "wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action."
The Lawsuit
Trump's lawsuit — filed in Florida — accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech he gave outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The BBC apologised for the error and said that the broadcast gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action".
The broadcaster has since asked that the court dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the programme does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US.
In July, Trump's lawyers conceded that they had no evidence that the documentary was available in the US on the BBC's BritBox subscription service — as they originally claimed — or on the BBC's website, BBC Select or through US broadcasters.
Trump ultimately agreed to drop the lawsuit against BBC Studios, its commercial arm, after the BBC argued that it had "no role in creating or producing the documentary."
Source
BBC NewsWestern
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US judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in $10bn BBC lawsuit by Dec. 11