The BBC has officially filed a motion to dismiss U.S. President Donald Trump‘s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over the editing of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a “Panorama” documentary.
Trump filed the lawsuit in a Florida court in December, alleging defamation and trade practices violations after “Panorama” condensed his Jan. 6 speech to make it seem like he said: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The fallout over the edit caused both BBC director general Tim Davies and head of news Deborah Turness to resign. Though the BBC apologised for the edit and acknowledged it created “the mistaken impression” that Trump had “made a direct call for violent action,” the broadcaster rejected the president’s compensation demands and has maintained that there is no basis for a defamation claim.
“We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us,” a BBC spokesperson said on Monday. “Put simply — the documentary was never aired in Florida — or the U.S. It wasn’t available to watch in the U.S. on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms including BritBox and BBC Select. We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the President’s claim.”
According to Reuters, the BBC’s motion to dismiss argues that the lawsuit should be thrown it because it never aired in Florida and Trump still managed to win the presidential election after it aired in 2024. Due to this, Trump “cannot plausibly claim that the documentary harmed his reputation”, the BBC’s lawyers said.
When the BBC first announced their intention to seek a dismissal in January, Trump’s legal team said: “The BBC is liable to President Trump for intentionally and maliciously defaming him by distorting and manipulating his speech. No amount of attempted legal maneuvers can change that fact. President Trump will continue to hold accountable the BBC and all those who traffic in fake news.”
If the motion to dismiss is unsuccessful, a trial set for February 2027 will proceed.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
From Variety US