US President Donald Trump has withdrawn a portion of his legal action against the BBC. In new court filings unveiled on Thursday, Trump dropped his defamation claims against BBC Studios Distribution Limited and BBC Studios Productions Limited. Notably, he only retracted his claims against the commercial and production divisions of the BBC, leaving his lawsuit against the public broadcaster intact. According to the legal documents disclosed on Thursday, Trump and the Studios Defendants have mutually agreed to dismiss all claims against the Studios Defendants with prejudice, with each party responsible for its own costs and attorney’s fees.
The court filing specifies that Trump will continue pursuing his legal actions against the British Broadcasting Corporation. In court papers, the US president alleged that the edited footage negatively impacted the reputation and financial interests of his brand, properties, and businesses. Trump initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against the UK broadcaster relating to the editing of a 2024 Panorama documentary covering the events of the US Capitol riots in 2021. He claims that the filmmakers deliberately altered 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 created. Subsequently, Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, and Deborah Turness, the BBC’s head of news, resigned in light of the revelations.
Despite Trump’s demands for compensation, the BBC’s legal team argued in February that the case should be dismissed in US courts due to insufficient evidence that the Panorama program was widely viewed in the US. The US government is contemplating joining the ongoing legal battle, potentially leading to the withholding of requested documents from the US president, such as phone records and diary entries, citing executive privilege or national security concerns. Trump’s attorneys accused the BBC of engaging in a “fishing expedition” after seeking financial information about a trust managing the President’s business interests and assets. The BBC defended its request, stating it needed the details from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, overseen by Donald Trump Jr., to evaluate the financial impact of the Panorama documentary. The trial is scheduled for February 2027 in Florida.
