Federal Judge Warns Trump of Sanctions Over BBC Defamation Suit

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued a court order warning former President Donald J. Trump that continued non-compliance in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) could result in sanctions. The order directs Trump to respond to the BBC’s request for a deposition and to produce undisputed records by a late-October deadline. The judge noted that prior refusals to follow discovery rules have already prompted admonishment.

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Trump filed the lawsuit in December, alleging that a BBC Panorama documentary misrepresented his speech. Since then, the BBC has filed multiple motions independently because of Trump’s “disregard” of joint procedures. In early July, the court ordered the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to turn over tax returns and records for roughly 400 business entities; that order was paused after the trust sought relief. The BBC reported that Trump produced a single document on July 14 but has not signed written answers under oath.

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• Trump’s attorney Ian Corp informed the court that the president could not appear for the deposition scheduled on October 16 because of “other matters of national importance,” and later indicated no availability before the discovery cutoff in mid-December, proposing a far-future date contingent on extending discovery.

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• “The Court has admonished Plaintiff for his lack of participation to no avail. Going forward, the Court expects strict compliance with its … Order, the failure of which will lead to sanctions,” — Enjolique Lett, magistrate judge

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The court has set a hearing for late October in Miami to address the remaining discovery disputes, including the possibility of serving subpoenas to Trump’s children and son-in-law by certified mail. The BBC maintains that it will seek enforcement of its deposition request and may pursue sanctions if Trump’s team continues to miss deadlines.

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