US President Donald Trump has chosen to withdraw a portion of his legal action against the BBC. In recent legal filings unveiled on Thursday, Trump dismissed his defamation claims against BBC Studios Distribution Limited and BBC Studios Productions Limited. Notably, Trump has opted to retract his allegations against the commercial and production divisions of the BBC, while upholding his lawsuit against the public broadcaster. Documents released on Thursday state that Trump and the Studios Defendants have agreed to dismiss all claims against the Studios Defendants with prejudice, as per Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii).
The legal filing specifies that Trump will proceed with his claims against the British Broadcasting Corporation. Trump asserted in court documents that the editing done by the BBC negatively impacted the value of his brand, properties, and businesses. Trump initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against the UK national broadcaster concerning the alteration of a 2024 Panorama documentary covering the US Capitol riots of 2021. He is pursuing damages in a Florida court, alleging that filmmakers deliberately manipulated footage of his speech on January 6 before his supporters breached the Capitol building in Washington DC.
Following the broadcast of the documentary a week before the US election, the BBC issued a formal apology for the “misleading impression” it created. Subsequently, Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, and Deborah Turness, the BBC’s head of news, resigned in response to the revelations.
Despite Trump’s demands, the BBC declined to offer compensation, with BBC lawyers arguing in February that the case should be dismissed from US courts due to the absence of evidence indicating that the Panorama special was viewed in the US. The US government is contemplating joining the ongoing lawsuit, potentially leading to the withholding of documents requested by the BBC’s attorneys from the US president, such as phone records and diary entries, citing executive privilege or national security concerns. Trump’s lawyers have accused the BBC of engaging in a “fishing expedition” as they sought financial information about a trust managing the President’s business interests and assets, held by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. The BBC’s legal team stated that details from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust were necessary to evaluate the financial repercussions of the Panorama program. A trial date has been scheduled for February 2027 in Florida.