Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against BBC going to trial in Florida in 2027
By Laura Harding, Deputy Entertainment Editor
A $10 billion defamation lawsuit brought against the BBC by US President Donald Trump will go to trial in 2027, a Florida judge has ordered.
The case is set for a two-week hearing at the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US Courthouse in Miami from February 15 next year.
Court documents list the plaintiff as President Donald J Trump, with the British Broadcasting Corporation et al as defendants.
The BBC has taken legal steps to have the lawsuit, brought over the editing of a Panorama programme, dismissed.
Panorama faced criticism late last year over an episode broadcast in 2024 for appearing to give the impression the US president had encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021.
In the episode, a clip from Mr Trump’s speech on January 6th 2021 was spliced to show him saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
Mr Trump is seeking up to 10 billion dollars (£7.5 billion) in damages in response to the editing of his speech, with his lawyers claiming it was “false and defamatory”.
The BBC has filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the Florida court lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the corporation, the court venue is “improper” and that Mr Trump has “failed to state a claim”, according to court documents.
The corporation argues it did not create, produce or broadcast the documentary in Florida and Mr Trump’s claim that the documentary was available in the US on streaming service BritBox is not true.
A BBC spokesperson said: “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 court order, by judge Roy K Altman, was made on February 11.
The documents from the US District Court Southern District of Florida say: “This matter is set for trial during the court’s two-week trial calendar beginning February 15, 2027. Counsel for all parties shall also appear at a calendar call at 1.45 pm on February 9th 2027.
“Unless instructed otherwise by subsequent order, the trial and all other proceedings in this case shall be conducted in courtroom 12-4 at the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US Courthouse, 400 N Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128.”
The parties must select a mediator by March 3, 2026 and schedule a time, date and place for mediation.
The documents say: “If the parties cannot agree on a mediator, they shall notify the clerk in writing as soon as the impasse becomes clear, and the clerk shall designate a certified mediator on a blind rotation basis.”
