Trump's $10 billion BBC defamation suit: magistrate judge orders his deposition by Dec. 11 or sanctions up to dismissal (Oct. 22, 2026) Case On Oct. 22, 2026 U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett in Miami ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation suit against the BBC, warning of sanctions up to dismissal, unless discovery is extended past Dec. 18. BBC lawyers said Trump had delayed: an agreed Oct. 16 date was canceled with Trump citing \"other matters of national importance.\" The suit concerns a BBC documentary that spliced portions of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech, which the BBC has apologized for while denying that it defamed him. The Oct. 22, 2026 order At a hearing on Oct. 22, 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett in Miami ordered Trump to sit for a deposition with BBC lawyers by Dec. 11, or face penalties that could include dismissal of his lawsuit. The deadline does not apply if the discovery period is extended past Dec. 18. BBC lawyers said Trump had delayed his deposition: an agreed Oct. 16 date was canceled, with his lawyers citing "other matters of national importance." BBC attorney Charles Tobin said Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day. CBS reports that Trump said he could sit for the deposition in the second or third week of January. Discovery ends Dec. 18, and Judge Lett said only the presiding judge can change the trial schedule; the defense said it would accept a later deposition if the trial date moved back too. The lawsuit and the documentary dispute Trump filed the suit on Dec. 15, 2025 in federal court in Florida, seeking $10 billion for defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices over a BBC documentary, "Trump: A Second Chance," from October 2024. The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different parts of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech, making it seem he urged violence. It apologized, and its director-general and head of news resigned. It denies defaming Trump. The BBC subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith for deposition testimony, arguing he has unmatched knowledge of Jan. 6; CBS says Smith does not object. Trump's lawyers say Smith lacks personal knowledge of the speech and that his testimony would be duplicative of his public report and testimony. No ruling on the subpoena is reported. Perspectives Defender — Trump's lawyers The BBC documentary misled viewers by splicing portions of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech and falsely depicting his remarks. The Oct. 16 deposition date was canceled because of matters of national importance, and Trump could sit in January. Jack Smith has no personal knowledge of the speech or Trump's state of mind, and his testimony would be duplicative. Defender — The BBC and its lawyers The BBC says it sincerely regrets the editing and apologized, but denies there is a basis for defamation or for deceptive trade practices. Its lawyers say Trump delayed his deposition and that Jack Smith has unmatched knowledge of Jan. 6. Critic — Seth Stern, Freedom of the Press Foundation Calls the suit frivolous and says \"Caving to Trump gets you nothing,\" arguing that news organizations should not settle such claims. Research notes Sourcing: AP via PBS NewsHour and CBS News (both Oct. 22, 2026) for the order; the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker (version updated Sept. 24, 2026) for the case background. A Meidas Touch Instagram post that prompted this entry says the judge ordered Trump to testify under oath by Dec. 11 or face sanctions including possible dismissal; that matches AP and CBS, which identify the judge as a magistrate judge.\n\nWhat the sources do not establish: whether the BBC's motion to dismiss (mentioned in linked headlines) has been decided; the trial date (a 2027 trial is mentioned only in linked headlines); whether Jack Smith's subpoena will be enforced (CBS says Smith does not object; no ruling reported); the judge's own words (neither article quotes her).\n\nOpen leads:\n- The order or docket text and the exact sanctions language.\n- The BBC's motion to dismiss and any ruling.\n- Trump's reported offer of a deposition in the second or third week of January, and whether discovery or the trial schedule is changed.\n- The BBC's Jack Smith subpoena and any motion to quash.\n- The documentary's original editing and the BBC's own review. Note The BBC acknowledges the editing error and apologized but denies defamation and deceptive trade practices; whether the suit survives is undecided, and Trump's lawyers dispute that former special counsel Jack Smith has relevant personal knowledge. Sources [1] Associated Press via PBS NewsHour — Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11 (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-orders-trump-to-sit-for-a-deposition-in-his-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-bbc-by-dec-11) · 2026-10-22 [2] CBS News — Judge in Miami says Trump must sit for deposition in BBC defamation lawsuit by Dec. 11 (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bbc-deposition-defamation-lawsuit/) · 2026-10-22 [3] U.S. Press Freedom Tracker — Media in the courthouse (lawsuits against news media; version updated Sept. 24, 2026) (https://pressfreedomtracker.us/blog/media-in-the-courthouse/) · 2026-09-24 Connections Related — Jan. 6, 2021 and Trump's rhetoric: the impeachment, the committee, the court rulings, the pardons, and later incidents at his events (2021-2026) The suit concerns a documentary's editing of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech, and the BBC subpoenaed Jack Smith about it. Related — Trump's lawsuits against news organizations since 2024: two settlements, a dismissal, a partial dismissal and several pending suits (2024-2026) The BBC suit is one of the suits tracked in the media-lawsuits entry, which compares outcomes across outlets.