BBC says it will file motion to dismiss $10 billion Trump lawsuit over January 6 speech edit

US President Donald Trump is seeking up to $10 billion for the editing of a speech that he says changed the meaning of what he told supporters on January 6, 2021

The BBC said it will challenge United States President Donald Trump’s defamation case after the broadcaster was slapped with a mutli-billion dollar lawsuit over a programme edit.

The United Kingdom’s national broadcaster said that it will take steps to dismiss Trump’s defamation lawsuit over a Panorama programme edit, documents filed late on late on Monday, January 12 UK time, showed.

Trump is seeking up to 10 billion dollars (£7.5 billion) in damages in response to the edit of his speech that the president’s lawyers say was “false and defamatory”.

The broadcaster is accused of deliberately editing parts of Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech to make it appear that he encouraged supporters to storm the Capitol. Five people were left dead and hundreds injured in the protest.

The October 2024 documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” cut parts of Trump’s speech, reportedly changing the meaning of what he told supporters.

His speech was spliced to show him saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”

It was released days before the 2024 US election faceoff between Republican Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.

The broadcaster will file a motion to dismiss on claims that the Florida court lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the BBC, the court venue is “improper” and that Trump has “failed to state a claim”, the Press Association reported.

The BBC will argue that it did not create, produce or broadcast the documentary in Florida and that the claim that the documentary was available in the US on streaming service BritBox is untrue.

The BBC will also claim that Trump failed to “plausibly allege” the broadcaster published the documentary with “actual malice”. Public officials are required to show this when filing suit for defamation in the US.

The PA reported that the BBC has asked the court “to stay all other discovery” – the pre-trial process in which parties gather information – pending the decision on the motion.

PA said the BBC has been approached for comment.

A 2027 trial date has been proposed should the case continue.

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