SerpApi.Org
One of President Donald Trump's latest revenge lawsuits appears to be on the verge of a "humiliating" implosion, according to a new breakdown from The i Paper, as the legal battle enters a new phase where his target "can smell blood."
Among his many other attempts at legal warfare, Trump has been suing the BBC for defamation over what The i Paper on Wednesday called the "clumsy" editing of his speech prior to the Jan. 6 riots, seeking $10 billion in damages. The process took a turn for the worse for the president this week, when Judge Enjoliqué Lett sided with the BBC's demand to force Trump and his companies to disclose financial information as part of the discovery process, to determine the accuracy of his suit's claim that the documentary caused him "massive economic damage to his brand value, and significant damage and injury to his future financial prospects.”
Trump is notoriously secretive about his personal finances, especially since his entry into politics, which has brought renewed scrutiny to his alleged tax dodging and the legitimacy of his net worth claims. The lawsuit behind Trump's controversial "slush fund" settlement originally revolved around his allegations about the IRS leaking his tax information to news outlets, signaling his particular sensitivity over the issue.
Judge Lett also gave the BBC the ability to subpoena figures close to Trump, potentially forcing them to testify under oath about his "thoughts and intentions in the hours leading up to the 6 January 2021 riots on Capitol Hill."
Writing about the story for The i Paper, reporter Simon Mark noted that "The BBC can smell blood" and that Trump has already given hints about a "massive climbdown" in his allegations against the network.
"Trump, of course, has no intention of placing his financial data in the hands of BBC lawyers, and even during Tuesday’s hearing the President’s attorney indicated that a massive climbdown may soon be underway," Marks explained. "Al Brito, leading Trump’s legal team, told the judge that the President’s claims against the BBC had 'evolved.' He said that an amended version of the lawsuit would soon be unveiled in which 'the damages are limited in a way that is different from when the case was originally filed. Even if there has been harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages,' he said, predicting that the amended lawsuit would have a 'far more narrow scope.'"
He continued: "The BBC smells blood in the water. The corporation’s lawyers say Trump’s legal team are dragging their feet over efforts to schedule the President’s deposition in the case. The corporation continues to call for the entire lawsuit to be dismissed, arguing that the BBC is not the broadcasting powerhouse in South Florida that the President claims."
The lawsuit had already been withering in scope prior to Judge Lett's discovery ruling. Marks noted that the BBC's legal team had already convinced the court that "neither BBC Studio Productions nor BBC Studios Distribution played any role in producing or creating the documentary and were uninvolved in its American broadcast," successfully getting those aspects of its operation removed from the suit.
Marks concluded: "The BBC may be in the process of proving that it’s possible to stand up to a bully and win, especially when grandiose claims made in a lawsuit simply do not stand up to scrutiny. But Trump’s lawyers are likely to remain very busy, as an irascible president funds them to wage his war on reporting."
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