A US magistrate judge has ruled that Donald Trump must disclose detailed financial information from his many businesses as part of his $10bn defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), according to news reports.
Ruling and Implications
The ruling by US magistrate judge Enjoliqué Lett during a discovery hearing on Tuesday could open a unique window into the hundreds of businesses owned by Trump's family trust. It also highlights a potential drawback of Trump's strategy of filing multibillion-dollar lawsuits against critical media.
Trump filed the defamation lawsuit late last year, seeking $10bn in damages over a 2024 documentary called "Trump, A Second Chance." The documentary features a scene of the speech he made before his supporters attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, with lines spliced together to make it appear that Trump directly urged his supporters to attack. The BBC apologized to Trump last year for the misleading edit but has argued that his defamation claims have no merit.
Subpoenas and Appeals
Lett is also allowing the BBC to subpoena dozens of members of Trump's inner circle, according to Bloomberg News, in an effort to find evidence of Trump's thoughts and intentions on January 6. Those subpoenas will target Trump family members and key advisers, including Donald Trump Jr, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller.
Trump's legal team is likely to appeal Tuesday's decision. Trump's lawyers are also trying to avoid the forced release of his financial records by limiting the scope of the lawsuit. Alejandro Brito, a Trump lawyer, told Lett on Tuesday that he intends to amend the current complaint, according to Politico. The amended complaint will state that the documentary only caused reputational damage, rather than undermining his businesses, making the financial disclosures unnecessary.
For now, the BBC can move forward with requests for Trump's financial records. The BBC aims to argue that Trump's wealth has skyrocketed since the documentary aired, contradicting the claim that the documentary undermined his businesses.
