Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in his defamation suit against BBC

By Kerry Picket - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 22, 2026

President Trump received a federal judge’s order to appear for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued the order as lawyers for the British media company bemoaned that the president postponed his court appearance.

The Washington Times reached out to the White House for comment.

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Charles Tobin, attorney for the BBC, said only two months remain in the discovery period and “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.”

Mr. Tobin said both parties agreed on Oct. 16 as the date he would appear in court, but Mr. Trump canceled it for a “matter of national importance.”

Mr. Tobin said the president was in fact campaigning in Georgia that day: “He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition.”

Judge Lett said Mr. Trump must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit.

Discovery, the formal pretrial process where opposing parties in a lawsuit exchange information, evidence and witness details, is scheduled to end Dec. 18, and the BBC’s attorneys want to ensure they have Mr. Trump’s deposition before that deadline.

Judge Lett said only the presiding judge can reschedule the trial date. The defense said it’s flexible to schedule the deposition later if the trial date is also delayed.

Mr. Trump has usually avoided court depositions.

He filed his lawsuit against the BBC last December, accusing the broadcaster of defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance.”

The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the remarks that Mr. Trump gave to his supporters that day on the Ellipse before many stormed the Capitol. The spliced remarks make it appear he was directly urging violence upon the federal government.

The British outlet apologized for how it edited that part of the documentary, and the BBC head and its top news executive both resigned. However, the BBC has disputed Mr. Trump’s allegations that it defamed him.