Donald Trump's legal team abruptly canceled a scheduled deposition in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, forcing the British broadcaster to ask a federal judge to compel him to sit for questioning.
On Sept. 28, just over a week before an Oct. 16 deposition, Trump's lawyers canceled, citing "other matters of national importance." They suggested rescheduling for January — well after the discovery deadline. When pressed for specific alternative dates and locations, Trump's team did not respond.
On Tuesday, the BBC filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett to force Trump to comply with discovery requirements. The motion stated: "Plaintiff chose to file this lawsuit and, in doing so, he accepted the obligations of civil litigation. The BBC therefore asks the Court to compel Plaintiff to confirm a date for his deposition, notify the BBC of a secure location where such deposition is possible and any other logistics required to ensure Plaintiff's safety, and sit for the deposition, as the core rules of discovery require."
Nearly eight months into discovery, the BBC has deposed seven of its own witnesses. Only two months of the discovery window remain, yet the plaintiff has not sat for a single deposition and has no scheduled date to do so.
The lawsuit originated in December 2025, when Trump sued the BBC over a Panorama documentary episode. Trump alleged that the network violated Florida's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act by editing comments he made during a January 2021 rally. The BBC apologized for the editorial error, but Trump proceeded with the suit. His legal team characterized the incident as "intentional" and "malicious" deception.
A deposition is civil litigation's central accountability tool, where a party's sworn testimony can be challenged and tested. For a plaintiff alleging intentional defamation by a major news organization, Trump's apparent unwillingness to participate raises questions about the strength of his claims.
Judge Lett has scheduled a discovery hearing for Oct. 22 to address the deposition issue. She will likely face a straightforward question: whether a plaintiff who files a $10 billion defamation lawsuit must actually submit to the discovery process, or whether a president's schedule can override the civil rules that apply to everyone else.
Civil rules exist to prevent powerful parties from using litigation as a tool of harassment while avoiding accountability. If a plaintiff refuses to sit for a deposition near the deadline, citing no genuine conflict and offering no alternative timeline, a judge's response should enforce compliance or impose sanctions.
The discovery hearing will determine whether that principle holds in this case.
