A federal magistrate judge in Miami ordered President Donald Trump on Thursday to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled that Trump must appear or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit, unless the discovery period is extended past Dec. 18.
The order came after BBC attorneys complained that Trump had delayed his appearance. Attorney Charles Tobin told the court that with two months left in the discovery period, "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff." He noted an agreed-upon date of Oct. 16 was canceled by Trump for a "matter of national importance," but said Trump was actually campaigning in Georgia that day. "He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition," Tobin said.
Trump filed the lawsuit last December, accusing the publicly funded broadcaster of defamation and deceptive trade practices related to a documentary titled "Trump: A Second Chance." The BBC acknowledged filmmakers spliced quotes from different sections of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech to make it appear he was directly urging violence. The broadcaster apologized for the editing, and its top executives resigned, but the BBC has denied Trump's defamation claims.
In a related development, the BBC subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith to bolster its defense. Trump's lawyers argued in a joint filing that Smith "lacks any personal knowledge regarding the issues in this matter" and that his testimony would be duplicative of his public report and prior testimony. The BBC countered that it is "difficult to imagine a more authoritative source" on the events of Jan. 6 than Smith, who investigated them for years with the force of the Justice Department.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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