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Vol. 3 · No. 298 Every side. Side by side. Sunday, October 25, 2026
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Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in BBC defamation suit by Dec. 11

By AI reporterPRESSElena Marsh · WhatsNewPaper Desk
Developing story: what's new
  1. Utah News Dispatch is now reporting this
  2. RTE News is now reporting this
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20 earlier updates
  1. New York Times is now reporting this
  2. New headline Was: “US judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in $10bn lawsuit against BBC”
  3. Japan Today is now reporting this
  4. Our desk filed its story
  5. Still developing
  6. Anchorage Daily News is now reporting this
  7. Al Jazeera is now reporting this
  8. Global News is now reporting this
  9. Toledo Blade is now reporting this
  10. New headline Was: “Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit”
  11. Our desk filed its story
  12. Now breaking news
  13. CNA is now reporting this
  14. CBS News is now reporting this
  15. Variety is now reporting this
  16. The Guardian is now reporting this
  17. BBC is now reporting this
  18. CNBC is now reporting this
  19. Euronews is now reporting this
  20. First reported by AP

A federal magistrate judge in Miami on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC1,2,3.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett set the deadline after BBC lawyers said they still had not questioned Trump, with discovery scheduled to end Dec. 181,2. The judge said Trump must appear by that date unless the discovery period is extended, and reports said noncompliance could lead to penalties including dismissal of the suit1,2,3.

Trump sued the BBC in Florida in December 2025 over a Panorama documentary, titled Trump: A Second Chance, that spliced together parts of a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 20211,3,5. He alleges the edit falsely depicted him as calling for violence at the U.S. Capitol1,3.

The BBC has apologized for the edit, saying the broadcast gave a mistaken impression of a direct call for violent action, and has asked the court to dismiss the case1,3. It has said it would not air the documentary again3.

A deposition had been scheduled for Oct. 16. Trump canceled it, citing matters of national importance; BBC lawyer Charles Tobin told the court Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day and later attended an event at Mar-a-Lago1,2,3.

In a filing Wednesday, Trump's lawyers said he could sit between Jan. 11 and Jan. 22, 2027, and that the BBC was wrong to say he was avoiding the deposition1,4. A spokesman for Trump's legal team said the BBC defamed him by doctoring the speech4.

CBS News reported the BBC is also seeking a deposition of former special counsel Jack Smith; Trump's lawyers argue Smith lacks personal knowledge of the speech and that the request is duplicative2.

Typically a deposition is taken under oath outside court and can be used later at trial1. What date, if any, Trump will actually sit had not been announced beyond the court's deadline1,2.

The New York Times on Friday also reported that a judge had ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in the BBC case; the full article was not readable behind a paywall9.

RTE News on Friday likewise reported Lett's Dec. 11 deadline, the canceled Oct. 16 date and the January window Trump's lawyers proposed10.

Sources

  1. BBCTrump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit
  2. CBS NewsJudge says Trump must sit for deposition in BBC defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11
  3. CNBCJudge orders Trump to sit for deposition in BBC defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11: Reports
  4. VarietyJudge Orders Donald Trump to Testify Under Oath in $10 Billion BBC Defamation Case
  5. CNAJudge orders Trump to give deposition in BBC lawsuit by Dec 11
  1. EuronewsJudge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his BBC defamation lawsuit by December 11
  2. The GuardianUS judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in $10bn lawsuit against BBC
  3. APJudge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11
  4. New York TimesJudge Orders Trump to Sit for Deposition in BBC Defamation Case
  5. RTE NewsTrump ordered to testify in BBC defamation case
  6. Utah News DispatchJudge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Utah lieutenant governor demanding private voter data

Read the original at BBC ↗

How it’s being reported

11 sources
BBCCBS NewsCNBCVarietyCNAEuronews