Trump lawyers reject BBC subpoena in $10B defamation suit

President Donald Trump's legal team has refused to comply with a subpoena for financial records from the BBC, escalating a discovery dispute in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed in Florida. The lawsuit, initiated in December, centers on a 2024 Panorama documentary about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

Trump alleges the broadcaster intentionally and maliciously edited his speech from that day, splicing together segments from nearly an hour apart to create a misleading clip. The clip suggested he told supporters, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell." The BBC has acknowledged the edit unintentionally created a false impression of a continuous statement, apologized to Trump, and stated the documentary would not be shown again.

In the lawsuit, Trump claims this portrayal caused significant financial and reputational damage to his brand, properties, and businesses. To assess these damage claims, the BBC subpoenaed the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which holds the president's business assets and is managed by his son, Donald Trump Jr. The broadcaster requested extensive financial documents, including records...