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A federal magistrate judge ordered President Donald Trump to turn over financial records in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, allowing the broadcaster to examine more than 400 companies held through a Trump family trust.
Judge Opens Trump Businesses To Financial Scrutiny
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled Tuesday that Trump put his businesses at the center of the case by alleging reputational and economic harm. "All of President Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are impugned or said to have been impugned," Lett said. "Reputational, economic damages, all of that is now at issue in this case."
Trump’s lawyers tried to avoid disclosure by abandoning claims that the documentary reduced his companies’ value. Attorney Al Brito said Trump’s position had "evolved" and now concerned only personal reputational damage.
BBC attorney Chuck Tobin rejected that distinction. "You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses," he said.
The ruling escalates a discovery fight over the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, managed by Donald Trump Jr. Reuters reported in June that Trump’s team resisted the BBC’s subpoena, while the broadcaster said it needed the records to test his damage claims.
BBC Seeks Dismissal And Trump Deposition
Trump filed the lawsuit in December after the BBC’s "Panorama" documentary spliced together sections of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered nearly an hour apart. Trump says the edit falsely suggested he directly incited the Capitol attack. The BBC apologized for the misleading edit but denied defamation.
The complaint seeks $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion under Florida’s unfair-trade-practices law. The BBC has asked U.S. District Judge Roy Altman to dismiss the case, arguing that the documentary did not air in Florida and that Trump cannot prove harm. Altman has tentatively scheduled a February 2027 trial.
The BBC also wants Trump to testify under oath. Tobin said Trump’s lawyers were "dragging their feet" on setting a deposition date.
Trump’s Wider Media Litigation Campaign Expands
The clash extends Trump’s broader media litigation campaign. Paramount paid $16 million to settle his "60 Minutes" lawsuit, while Trump has also pursued a $10 billion case against The Wall Street Journal and a $15 billion claim against The New York Times.
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This article Trump's $10 Billion Media Lawsuit Turns Toward His Own Business Empire as Judge Allows BBC to Examine Finances of More Than 400 Companies originally appeared on Benzinga.com.
