Judge denies BBC bid to dismiss Trump defamation lawsuit

A federal judge in Florida has denied the BBC's bid to dismiss President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.

Ruling on the defamation claim

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, an appointee of Trump, determined that the president's complaint plausibly alleged that the BBC "acted with actual malice" by editing two comments in a documentary that made it seem like the plaintiff endorsed violence at a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, before the Capitol riot.

The judge noted the significance of the documentary's editing decision, which spliced together comments made by Trump that were nearly 55 minutes apart, something the BBC has apologized for.

"On its face, the editing may independently establish the plausibility of actual malice," he wrote. "BBC tries to frame this editing as ordinary editing done to condense a seventy-minute-long speech into twelve seconds. But the Court is not persuaded."

The judge also wrote that "Trump's allegations regarding BBC's departure from journalistic standards are more than enough to plausibly alleged more than mere negligence."

Dismissed claim and deposition order

The judge dismissed Trump's claim that the BBC violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, ruling that the documentary did not constitute commercial speech.

A judge ordered Trump last month to answer questions under oath in the lawsuit by 11 December, after the president cancelled a previous deposition in October, citing "matters of national importance."

Responses

Trump called the judge's ruling a "huge victory" in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. "We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!" Trump said.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage. We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process."

Why it matters

The defamation claim is moving forward, while a separate claim Trump brought under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act was tossed out by Kuntz. The judge found Trump's defamation allegations against the BBC sufficient for the case to continue, although he did not make a ruling on the merits of the case. Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day.

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Sources

• washingtonexaminer.com: Judge denies BBC bid to dismiss Trump defamation lawsuit
• theguardian.com: Federal judge allows Trump’s $10bn defamation lawsuit against BBC to proceed | Donald Trump | The Guardian
• bbc.com: Judge allows Trump's $10bn defamation lawsuit against BBC to proceed
• thehindu.com: U.S. judge says Trump’s $10 billion BBC defamation case can proceed - The Hindu

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.