BBC is filing a motion to dismiss Trump’s defamation suit regarding the editing of Panorama, according to court documents.
The BBC has requested the court effectively prevent the parties from collecting most of the evidence until the motion is decided.
Court documents reveal that the BBC plans to dismiss Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the January 6 Panorama edit.
us The president filed a defamation case Over the broadcaster’s editing of a speech he gave in 2021, the day his supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Clips of parts of the US President’s speech were stitched together, showing him saying, “We’re walking to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We engage in intense battles.
The nearly hour-long documentary Trump: A Second Chance? The BBC broadcasted it one week before the US elections.
us President is seeking $5bn (£3.7bn) in damages as part of a defamation suit. Additionally, they have brought a $5 billion lawsuit alleging violations of the law on trade practices. Both lawsuits were filed in Florida.
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement, “As we have previously made clear, we will defend this matter. We are not going to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Court documents show the broadcaster will file a motion to dismiss the lawsuits, claiming the Florida court lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the organisation, the court venue is “improper”, and Mr Trump has “failed to state a claim”.
Read more:
Trump vs BBC: everything you need to know
Victory doesn’t really matter to Trump. It’s about pressure – a warning to his critics
The BBC is retaliating.
If you read the legal filings and the grounds for which the corporation wants to dismiss the case, they are convincing.
The case’s filing location, Florida, forms the core of their argument. For a case against a British broadcaster, such an arrangement never made much sense.
He says Trump’s own legal team has provided a link to the Panorama episode, which viewers in the US cannot watch unless they use a VPN.
Would it be enough to throw it out?
This was always a curious affair, but let’s not forget that for Trump, it doesn’t really matter whether he succeeds or fails – this is designed to exert pressure; this is a high-profile warning shot to those who are personally critical of him and his administration.
Even if Trump doesn’t get his billions of dollars, the lawsuit is a form of leverage. But for a public service broadcaster, which is ultimately accountable to the taxpayers, being caught in such a situation is even more embarrassing and painful.
Given the prolonged uncertainty and significant legal costs, the BBC really needs to shut its operations down.
The corporation will argue that it did not create, produce, or broadcast the documentary in Florida, and that Mr. Trump’s claim about the documentary’s availability in the US on BritBox is false.
It will also claim that the president failed to allege that the broadcaster published the documentary with “actual malice.”
The BBC has requested the court effectively prevent the parties from collecting most of the evidence until the motion is decided.
Tim Davie resigns as Director General of the BBC. Photo: PA
The broadcasterapologised to the US President in November for “error of judgement” but said it disagreed that there were “grounds for a defamation claim”.
The fallout from the saga led to the resignation of both BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Terness.
Should the case continue, a hearing date of 2027 has been proposed.
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