BBC asks Florida court to authorize subpoenas for Trump family members in defamation suit
BBC Seeks Court-Ordered Subpoenas for Trump Family Members in $10 Billion Defamation Case
Background of the Suit
Wertynews.com – In December, President Donald Trump initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, alleging defamation alongside deceptive and unfair trade practices. At the heart of the complaint is a 2024 episode of the BBC's Panorama documentary, which featured an edited version of a speech Trump delivered in Washington shortly before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump's attorneys contend that the broadcaster "intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers" by "splicing together" two separate clips from the same address. According to the president's legal team, the two segments were separated by 55 minutes, and the edit removed a "statement calling for peace." The lawyers further argued the broadcast was designed to create the impression that Trump had explicitly urged violence and rioting while directing his followers toward Capitol Hill, where Congress was preparing to certify Joe Biden's electoral victory.
The BBC issued a public apology last year, acknowledging the cut gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action." The network announced it would not rebroadcast the program, yet it has maintained since the suit was filed that the edit does not constitute a valid basis for a defamation claim.
The Subpoena Request
According to a court filing made public Friday, the BBC's legal team petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for "authorization to serve third parties Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner." The subpoenas would compel the three individuals to furnish testimony and documents connected to events of January 6, 2021.
"The Third Parties have personal knowledge and likely have possession, custody, or control of records relevant to multiple elements of Plaintiff's claims against the BBC," the filing stated.
The BBC's attorneys pointed to congressional records indicating that both Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump were present in the Oval Office while the president was still revising his remarks that day. They also cited documents showing Kushner had drafted a presidential statement condemning the post-speech violence, as well as records confirming that Donald Trump Jr. spoke directly with his father after rioters breached the Capitol.
Trump Team Pushes Back
The court granted Trump's counsel until Friday to respond to the BBC's filing. CBS News reached out Monday to Alejandro Brito, the attorney representing the president in the litigation, but received no immediate response.
A spokesman for Trump's legal team, however, issued a statement shared with CBS News on Monday, accusing the broadcaster of "seeking to harass him [President Trump], his family, and supporters by abusing the deposition process."
"The BBC is simply trying to distract away from their own obvious liability," the statement read.
Earlier Attempts to Serve Subpoenas
The latest filings reveal that the BBC had already tried, in May, to deliver subpoenas to two of the president's children and his son-in-law, without success.
In one episode, BBC representatives went to the Florida residence of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner but were blocked by local law enforcement officers. The Secret Service subsequently informed the network that it could not accept the subpoenas on the couple's behalf.
In a separate effort, a BBC representative went to Trump Tower in New York to serve Donald Trump Jr. but was told by the concierge that the individual normally responsible for receiving such documents might have been at lunch. Two days later, another attempt at the same building was rebuffed when the representative was informed the "legal department" was not in that day.
The BBC's press office declined to comment when contacted by CBS News on Monday. The BBC serves as an international partner network of CBS News.
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