WASHINGTON: A federal judge has allowed US President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar defamation suit against the BBC to proceed, rejecting a bid by the British broadcaster to dismiss the case.
Trump has accused the BBC of deceptively editing a documentary to make it seem as if he was inciting violence when he told supporters to march on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He has sought at least $5 billion each for one claim of defamation and a separate claim under a Florida consumer protection law.
US District Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz on Tuesday rejected the BBC’s bid to dismiss the defamation suit, but tossed the Florida protection law claim.
A spokesperson for the BBC said in a brief statement that the broadcaster was “surprised by this decision” but respected the court’s authority.
“We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process,” the statement added.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, hailed the judge’s ruling as “A Huge Victory.”
“We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!” he added.
The BBC documentary at issue spliced together two separate sections of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, making it appear that he had explicitly urged supporters to attack the US Capitol.
