Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit by Dec. 11
A federal magistrate judge in Miami on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11, The Associated Press reported. The judge warned that failing to follow court orders could bring sanctions, up to dismissal of the case, unless the discovery deadline is extended, the BBC reported.
The order: U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order after the BBC’s lawyers said Trump had delayed his appearance in his own lawsuit, AP reported. Trump canceled a deposition set for Oct. 16, citing “matters of national importance,” the BBC reported. BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the court Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day, according to the BBC. Lett also ruled that the deposition can be videotaped, NBC News reported.
Documents: Lett said she was “not satisfied” that Trump’s team had fully searched for records related to his Jan. 6, 2021 speech, Politico reported. “It just strains credulity that there has been a thorough search,” she said, according to Politico.
What the case is about: Trump is suing over an episode of the BBC’s Panorama that edited together two sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the U.S. Capitol, the BBC reported. The BBC has acknowledged that the edit was misleading, The Guardian reported.
What a deposition is: A deposition is questioning under oath, outside the courtroom, recorded word for word so it can be used later as evidence, the BBC explained. Discovery, the stage where both sides exchange evidence, is set to close Dec. 18, NBC News reported. Trump’s lawyers had proposed a date in late January, and only the district judge, Jeffrey Kuntz, can extend the deadline, according to NBC News. This is an explainer, not legal advice.
Sources
- AP News — Judge orders Donald Trump deposition in defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11
- BBC News — Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit
- NBC News — Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC
- Politico — Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition he canceled in BBC lawsuit
- The Guardian — US judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in $10bn lawsuit against BBC