Judge orders Trump deposition by December 11 in BBC suit

A federal magistrate judge ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC, warning that failure to comply could bring sanctions, including dismissal, unless the discovery period is extended. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order at a hearing in Miami. The case’s discovery period is scheduled to run through December 18. The order sets a deposition deadline before that date, but does not resolve the lawsuit’s claims or the parties’ remaining disputes. The BBC’s lawyer, Charles Tobin, told the court that with two months remaining in discovery, the broadcaster had still been unable to question Trump under oath. BBC lawyers said Trump canceled a deposition set for October 16 and had not promptly offered a replacement date. Trump’s lawyers disputed the suggestion that he was avoiding the deposition. They said he could appear during the second or third week of January, after Lett’s deadline, and cited his duties and security needs. The judge’s order makes compliance by December 11 the operative schedule unless the discovery period is extended. Lett also ordered Trump’s legal team to produce relevant documents...