Donald Trump must sit for a deposition by December 11 as part of his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, after a federal magistrate judge ordered his legal team to comply with the discovery process.
Judge Enjoliqué Lett warned that failure to cooperate could trigger sanctions, including the possible dismissal of the case. The lawsuit concerns a BBC Panorama documentary that spliced together comments Trump made during his January 6, 2021, rally before the U.S. Capitol riot.
Judge orders Donald Trump to testify by December 11 in BBC lawsuit or face possible sanctions
During a hearing on discovery disputes, Lett concluded that Trump’s legal team had not provided enough relevant material. BBC attorney Charles Tobin argued that the documents produced so far largely came from public internet sources or materials the BBC had already supplied.
As per The Guardian, Lett questioned whether Trump’s lawyers had conducted a thorough search.
“The court is not satisfied that anyone is doing a thorough job,” she told Trump attorney Alejandro Brito.
The judge gave Trump’s team 30 days to turn over relevant documents. She also warned that continued failure to participate meaningfully in discovery could lead to sanctions, including dismissal for failure to prosecute the case.
“This is the last opportunity to do so,” Lett said.
The Trump deposition became another major point of contention. A previously scheduled October 16 session did not take place after Trump’s lawyers cited “other matters of national importance.”
His team later said Trump could participate during the second or third week of January. However, Lett ordered him to sit for the seven-hour deposition by December 11 unless the broader discovery schedule changes.
She also rejected Trump’s request to prevent the deposition from being videotaped. The recording will remain available only to attorneys involved in the case.
The judge additionally allowed the BBC to proceed with a subpoena involving Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s attorney argued that the Florida club operated separately from the president, but the BBC maintained that it remained connected to his reputation and business interests.
Lett agreed that Mar-a-Lago fell within the scope of discovery.
The Donald Trump BBC lawsuit could therefore face serious consequences if his legal team fails to meet the court’s requirements. Lett made clear that Trump’s team must comply with the discovery orders for the case to proceed.
