- A U.S. federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to provide detailed financial records for his businesses in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
- Trump’s legal team plans to amend the complaint and drop claims of financial harm in an effort to avoid disclosing the records, marking a significant procedural setback in the case.
- The lawsuit stems from a documentary featuring edited clips of Trump’s January 6 speech, with the BBC granted permission to subpoena key figures in Trump’s inner circle to examine his actions and intent surrounding the Capitol attack.
A U.S. federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to turn over detailed financial records from his business empire as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC
The directive comes despite Trump’s legal team revealing that they plan to amend the complaint and drop claims of financial harm in what appears to be an effort to avoid disclosing the records
The ruling marks the latest development in Trump’s ongoing legal battles with major media organizations since returning to the Oval Office. Earlier this month, New York Times journalists were subpoenaed over a report about his return flight from Turkey, where he was reportedly asked by the Secret Service to abandon the new Air Force One
Donald Trump Ordered To Reveal Financial Details In $10B BBC Lawsuit
President Donald Trump has been ordered by a U.S. federal judge to provide detailed financial records for his businesses, marking a significant procedural setback in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC
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During a discovery hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled that because Trump’s lawsuit alleges both financial and reputational harm, his business records are directly relevant to the case
“All of President Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are impugned or said to have been impugned. Reputational, economic damages, all of that is now at issue in this case,” Lett said in her ruling, per Politico
The decision means the broadcaster will now be able to examine financial records from hundreds of companies held under the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which Trump established to manage his businesses while serving as president
Trump’s Case Centers On January 6 Documentary
The dispute stems from a defamation lawsuit Trump filed against the broadcaster late last year over its 2024 Panorama documentary, “Trump, A Second Chance,”
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The documentary featured edited clips from Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech to supporters before the attack on the U.S. Capitol
Trump’s legal team alleged the broadcaster “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” edited his remarks to create the false impression that he directly incited the violence, causing substantial damage to both his personal brand and commercial interests
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell,” the edited version suggested Trump told the crowd
At the time, the BBC apologized and acknowledged the editing was “an error of judgment,” while maintaining that Trump’s defamation claims lacked merit
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In addition to ordering financial disclosures, Judge Lett also granted the BBC permission to subpoena key figures in Trump’s inner circle, including Donald Trump Jr., Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, to examine Trump’s actions and intent surrounding January 6
Donald Trump Tries To Narrow His Damage Claims
Trump retains the right to appeal Judge Lett’s ruling to the district judge, a move his legal team is widely expected to pursue in an effort to shield confidential trust records
According to Politico, Trump’s lawyers told the court they intend to withdraw portions of the original complaint by abandoning claims of economic harm
Attorney Alejandro Brito said the president’s legal strategy has “evolved” and that the case will now focus solely on reputational damages rather than alleged harm to Trump’s businesses
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“The damages are limited in a way that is different from when the case was originally filed,” Brito told the court. “Even if there has been a harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages… It’s a far more narrow scope of what this case is about.”
BBC attorney Chuck Tobin argued the distinction was meaningless. “He ran for president of the United States on a platform of The Art of the Deal,” Tobin said. “You cannot separate the man and his reputation from the operation of his businesses.”
BBC Pushes To Have Lawsuit Thrown Out
According to Politico, Judge Lett noted that she does not have the authority to remove the financial harm allegations from Trump’s complaint
She also issued a split ruling on other disputed discovery issues, including how much information the BBC can seek regarding Trump’s intent surrounding January 6 and how his remarks were interpreted
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Brito argued that Trump’s intent—and how his words were received—is irrelevant because the lawsuit centers on what was actually broadcast
“What matters is what he said relative to what was broadcast that he said. That’s it. There’s nothing more that needs to be examined,” the attorney argued
Meanwhile, the BBC has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the Panorama documentary was not broadcast in the United States. The court has not yet ruled on that request
Inside Donald Trump’s Expanding Legal War With The Media
The BBC lawsuit is the latest chapter in Trump’s increasingly aggressive legal campaign against major media organizations during his second term
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Earlier this month, the Trump administration subpoenaed New York Times reporters over anonymousp’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The subpoenas were later withdrawn after a federal judge criticized the government’s legal work
Trump has also secured major settlements from several media companies
He previously reached an out-of-court settlement in a defamation lawsuit against ABC News, with parent company Disney agreeing to pay $15 million in 2024
He also reached a $16 million settlement with Paramount Global (CBS News) in 2025 over defamation and misleading editing claims
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The Donald Trump Backtracks On $10B BBC Lawsuit To Avoid Financial Disclosure first appeared on The Blast
