BBC seeks dismissal of Trump lawsuit
January 13, 2026
As widely expected, the BBC has confirmed it will file a motion to dismiss US President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over how a speech of his was edited in a Panorama documentary.
Trump filed a $5 billion (€4.2bn) lawsuit in a Florida court in last year, accusing the BBC of defamation and of violating a trade practices law.
Court papers filed on January 12th show the BBC will argue the Florida court lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the briadcaster, the court venue is “improper” and that Trump has “failed to state a claim”.
The BBC will also argue that Panorama programme was not aired in the US and did not defame the US president. It will also assert that the president has not demonstrated that the documentary caused any actual damage to him, noting that he was re-elected after the programme aired. Trump had previously falsely claimed that the documentary has aired on Britbox in the US.
The BBC will add that Trump cannot plausibly allege that the documentary was published with “actual malice”. It points out that the clip is some 15 seconds of an hour-long programme containing extensive coverage of his supporters and balanced coverage of his path to re-election.
The Panorama episode in question edited parts of a Trump speech from Janaury 2021 together so he appeared to explicitly encourage rioting
The BBC previously acknowledged the edit had given “the mistaken impression” Trump had “made a direct call for violent action”, and the fallout led to the resignations of the corporation’s director general, Tim Davie, and head of news, Deborah Turness.
In the January 12th court documents, the broadcaster also asked the court “to stay all other discovery” – a pre-trial process in which opposing parties exchange evidence and information – pending the decision on the motion. A proposed trial date in 2027 has been indicated should the case progress.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”