Judge threatens Trump with sanctions to testify in BBC lawsuit

Erik Larson, Bloomberg News on Oct 16, 2026

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A judge threatened to sanction President Donald Trump for failing to sit for a mandatory deposition in the $10 billion defamation suit he filed against the British Broadcasting Corp.

“The court has admonished plaintiff for his lack of participation to no avail,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique A. Lett said in a brief order in Miami. “Going forward, the court expects strict compliance with its order, the failure of which will lead to sanctions.”

Lett made the comment in response to a BBC motion to compel Trump to answer their questions in a deposition — which he has tried to postpone, including a session scheduled for Friday, “due to other matters of national importance.” The judge scheduled a hearing by Oct. 22 on the issue, according to the order.

A spokesman for Trump’s legal team did not comment on the judge’s order, but said that the president’s “powerhouse lawsuit is holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”

The BBC didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The judge in February issued a procedural order on the discovery process in which both sides in a lawsuit request evidence and testimony, saying that she “may impose sanctions, monetary or any other type, if it determines discovery is being improperly sought or is being withheld in bad faith or without substantial justification.”

In a filing earlier this week, the BBC said Trump’s lawyer told the news outlet that the president “has no availability whatsoever for a deposition” before the end of the so-called discovery period on Dec. 18. The president’s lawyer said Trump would be available in the second or third week of January but did not provide a date, the BBC said in the filing.

Trump sued in December over the BBC’s use of a misleading edit of a speech he gave to his supporters shortly before they attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The edit, which spliced together different parts of the speech, made it appear Trump made a direct call for violence. The BBC apologized before Trump sued, but denies defaming the president.

The clash over Trump’s deposition is only the latest hiccup in his lawsuit against the British media outlet. The BBC is also seeking to enforce dozens of subpoenas to members of Trump’s inner circle and former Cabinet members to gather information about the president intent and state of mind when he delivered the speech.