Federal Judge Allows Donald Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Against the BBC to Proceed

Post By Emmie
November 11, 2026

A federal judge in Florida has ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC can move forward, rejecting the broadcaster's request to have the case thrown out. However, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz did dismiss a secondary claim brought under the state's unfair trade practices law.

The lawsuit stems from a 2024 Panorama documentary that spliced together two separate segments of a speech Trump delivered before the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riot. The edited footage combined comments where Trump told supporters to walk down to the Capitol with his use of the phrase "fight like hell," omitting a section where he called for peaceful protest.

The broadcast previously triggered a major controversy and internal crisis for the network, leading to the high-profile resignations of former director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness. The BBC previously issued an apology, acknowledging that the editing gave "the impression of a direct call for violent action".

Judge Kuntz concluded on Tuesday that the plaintiff had successfully met the legal threshold by presenting sufficient circumstantial evidence and pleading actual malice rather than mere negligence. The judge wrote:

"Trump's claims extend beyond negligence and plead a claim of recklessness. That is more than enough to satisfy the notice-pleading standard."

While allowing the defamation claim to proceed, the judge emphasized that the ruling did not determine whether the claims had been legally proven. The court ordered the BBC to submit its formal response by December 1st.

Responding to the decision, President Trump posted on Truth Social:

"A Huge Victory against Fake News BBC, a terrible abuser of the truth, just handed down by highly respected District Court Judge, Jeffrey T. Kuntz, of the Southern District of Florida. In his powerful ruling, Judge Kuntz wrote, “Here, the news entity created the story. BBC admitted as much by confirming it had edited a video to make it appear as though President Trump made a statement he never made.” We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!"

A BBC spokesperson issued a statement following the ruling:

"We are surprised by this decision but respect the court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage. We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process. It would be inappropriate to comment further while proceedings are ongoing."