A federal magistrate judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. The order comes a week after she warned him he could face sanctions if he didn’t cooperate.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett set the deadline Thursday, Oct. 22, and ruled that the deposition can be videotaped, according to NBC News. Trump attorney Alejandro Brito had argued against recording it. Lett also noted that only the district judge overseeing the case, Jeffrey Kuntz, has the power to extend the discovery deadline.
The order followed Lett’s Oct. 16 warning that sanctions would follow if Trump didn’t comply, according to Deadline. That warning came after Trump canceled a previously agreed deposition date and pushed for dates in January 2027, weeks after discovery is set to close.
The case stems from a lawsuit Trump filed in December 2025 over “Trump: A Second Chance?” The episode of the BBC’s “Panorama” series aired about a week before the 2024 presidential election, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The suit centers on an edited clip from Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech. In it, the BBC spliced together remarks delivered nearly an hour apart so they appeared to be one continuous statement. Trump is seeking $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
How the deposition dispute unfolded
BBC lawyers say they first asked for deposition dates in July, and both sides eventually agreed on Oct. 16. Trump then canceled, citing “matters of national importance.” His team told the BBC he had no availability before discovery closes Dec. 18 and offered the second or third week of January instead, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
With two months of discovery left, BBC attorneys told the court they still couldn’t depose the plaintiff himself, or even get a date on the calendar. The network asked the judge to compel his appearance, which led to Lett’s Oct. 16 warning.
The warning landed the same day Trump held a campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, alongside U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson. He then traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a Republican National Committee fundraising event, according to Deadline.
How the BBC has responded
The BBC has apologized for the edit and acknowledged splicing the quotes together. Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness both stepped down amid the fallout. Still, the broadcaster denies that the documentary defamed Trump and is fighting the suit in court.
In March, the BBC asked the court to dismiss the case. It argued that the Florida court lacks jurisdiction because the documentary didn’t air in the U.S. and that Trump can’t show the edit harmed him. Trial is currently set for February 2027.
As part of its defense, the BBC also subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the federal election conspiracy case against Trump. The BBC says Smith isn’t objecting to being deposed, according to Deadline. Trump’s legal team has asked the court to quash the subpoena, arguing Smith has no personal knowledge relevant to the defamation case.
Not the first deposition deadline
This isn’t the first time a Trump lawsuit has run up against a deposition. In October 2023, he voluntarily dropped his $500 million suit against former attorney Michael Cohen four days before he was set to be questioned under oath.
What’s next
The deposition order puts pressure on Trump’s legal team. He has until Dec. 11 to sit for a videotaped deposition, one week before discovery closes Dec. 18. A ruling on the BBC’s subpoena for Jack Smith is still pending.
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