A judge has ordered Donald Trump to provide financial records in his defamation case against the BBC. The US President is suing the broadcaster over a 2024 Panorama documentary, arguing it gave the impression he encouraged the Capitol riots.
Trump filed the $10 billion (£7.5 billion) defamation case in a Florida court. Judge Enjolique Lett granted the BBC's request for information from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which holds the president's business interests and assets and is managed by his eldest son. Trump's legal team called the request 'improper, and especially burdensome'.
Disclosure Dispute
The judge's decision can be appealed. The BBC's legal team had rejected claims of a 'fishing expedition', saying the details were needed to assess the financial impact of the programme. Court papers stated: 'Defendants have requested information from these entities only because plaintiff alleges without limitation that his financial interests have been impacted by defendants' actions and because plaintiff is the sole beneficiary of a trust that owns or is associated with nearly 400 entities.'
The trust, represented by Trump's lawyers, had resisted the demand, arguing: 'Although plaintiff has alleged that his businesses have suffered damages as a result of the documentary, that alone does not give defendants carte-blanche to obtain sweeping financial discovery from hundreds of non-parties.'
Documentary Controversy
Trump alleges the Panorama episode, broadcast shortly before the 2024 presidential election he won, caused him reputational and financial injury. The documentary faced criticism for giving the impression he encouraged supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The allegations led then-BBC director-general Tim Davie to resign. BBC chairman Samir Shah apologised over an 'error of judgment', accepting the editing gave 'the impression of a direct call for violent action'.
The BBC is seeking to have the case thrown out, warning of a 'chilling effect' on 'robust reporting on public figures and events'. It has also challenged the jurisdiction of a Florida court, as the programme was never aired in the state or the US.
