Judge allows Trump defamation case against BBC to proceed

Ruling permits case to advance

US District Judge Jeffrey T Kuntz denied the British broadcaster's motion to dismiss the suit filed in Florida. The president accused the network of maliciously editing a Panorama documentary about his January 6 speech. Trump called the decision a huge victory on Truth Social while a BBC spokesperson expressed surprise. The judge noted that accepting the allegations as true makes it plausible that reputational harm occurred.

Specific claims face different outcomes

The court dismissed the separate claim under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act because the documentary was not commercial speech. Kuntz wrote that editing two statements nearly 55 minutes apart creates a plausible inference of actual malice. The judge stated this was creating something different rather than trimming around the edges of a long speech.

Trump must prove he suffered actual damages at trial since the documentary was not broadcast in Florida. A magistrate judge previously ordered the president to answer questions under oath by 11 December or face sanctions. Earlier this year, Trump's lawyers conceded they lacked evidence that the programme was available on US platforms.