Donald Trump’s legal team has reportedly declined to provide crucial financial information sought by BBC lawyers in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, according to court filings cited by the Financial Times on Friday.
Trump initiated the lawsuit, alleging the publicly funded BBC defamed him by selectively splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021, speech to make it appear that he directed supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, creating a false impression.
The BBC, in a court filing cited by the newspaper, stated that the impetus for Trump’s request to delay “appears to be the flat refusal by the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust… to provide any financial information under subpoena.”
open image in galleryThis refusal comes despite Trump’s claims that the BBC’s actions severely harmed “the value of his brand, properties, and businesses.”
The Financial Times further noted Trump’s “own refusal, to date, to provide any financial information in discovery.”
Filed in Florida in December, Trump’s lawsuit asserts the BBC violated a state law prohibiting deceptive and unfair trade practices. He is seeking substantial damages of at least $5 billion on each of the two counts.
open image in galleryNeither the broadcaster nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the ongoing legal battle in Florida.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team informed the newspaper that the BBC was clearly liable for “intentionally and maliciously defaming him by distorting and manipulating his speech.”
The spokesperson added, “President Trump will continue to hold accountable the BBC and all those who traffic in fake news.”
open image in galleryTo ascertain the financial impact of the alleged defamation, the BBC has formally subpoenaed the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust.
This significant trust, managed by Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., as the sole trustee, holds Trump’s extensive business interests and assets.
The BBC’s legal team has sought financial documents detailing the trust’s holdings, value, assets, inventories, and properties, according to court filings from May that the paper reviewed.
open image in galleryThe comprehensive request encompasses nearly 400 entities associated with the trust, alongside demands for tax returns.
The documentary at the center of the dispute, first broadcast in 2024 shortly before a presidential election that Trump won, featured a segment in which he urged supporters to march on the Capitol, followed by another, nearly an hour later, in which he said, “Fight like hell.”
While the BBC apologized to Trump for the edit, it is actively seeking to have his lawsuit dismissed. The broadcaster argued in court papers released in March that Trump’s subsequent re-election demonstrated the alleged defamation did not, in fact, harm his public reputation.