Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit by Dec. 11

As of 8:26 a.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

A federal judge on Thursday, Oct. 22, ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett said Trump must be deposed by Dec. 11 or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit, unless the discovery period is extended past Dec. 18, according to the AP. Lett said only the presiding judge can alter the trial schedule, the AP reported.

Charles Tobin, the BBC's attorney, said that with two months left in the discovery period, "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff," the AP reported. Tobin said there had been an agreed date of Oct. 16, which Trump canceled for a "matter of national importance," and said Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day.

"He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition," Tobin said, according to the AP. The BBC's lawyers said they would be open to a later deposition if the trial schedule also moved, the AP reported.

Trump sued the BBC last December, accusing it of defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices over a documentary, "Trump: A Second Chance," which spliced together parts of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, the AP reported. The BBC has apologized for the edit but denies that it defamed him, according to the AP.