The BBC says it will ask for dismissal of Trump’s lawsuit
The US president is suing the British broadcaster for defamation over its edit of a speech he made on January 6
By Lianne Kolirin, CNN
London (CNN) — The BBC is taking steps to have Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against it dismissed, a court document showed.
Last month, the US president sued the British broadcaster for defamation over a BBC documentary featuring edited clips of a speech he made on January 6, 2021. The edit spliced together two different parts of Trump’s speech to make it sound like he instructed the crowd to walk to the Capitol to “fight like hell.”
In reality, Trump’s demand for supporters to fight was separate from his suggestion to walk to the Capitol. But the BBC program did not make the edit obvious to viewers.
Trump, who is seeking $10 billion in damages, accused the publicly owned corporation of defaming him and trying to influence American voters. The footage – which appeared in an episode of the BBC investigation series “Panorama” entitled “Trump: A Second Chance?” in 2024 – did not air in the United States.
In a court filing Monday, the BBC says it will “move to dismiss the complaint” as the Florida court where Trump lodged his lawsuit lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the case, noting that the documentary in question was not made or produced and did not air in Florida.
The BBC also argues in the document that the president “failed to plead, and will not be able to prove, that the Program caused him any cognizable injury.”
Furthermore, it argues that the president “fails to plausibly allege” that the documentary was aired with “actual malice,” which public figures must show when filing a defamation suit in the United States.
The BBC has been expected to file a motion to dismiss, which is a typical move when the subject of a lawsuit states that the case is without merit.
Multiple legal experts have stated that Trump’s lawsuit is weak, even though the BBC has previously apologized to the president and admitted an error of judgment, saying the edit gave the mistaken impression of a direct call to violent action. It has also said it “will be defending this case.”
A BBC spokesperson told CNN Tuesday: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
The-CNN-Wire
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