A United States federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath by December 11 in his 10-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC.
The order followed complaints by the BBC’s lawyers that Trump had delayed a previously scheduled deposition in the case.
According to the Associated Press, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett warned that failure to comply with the deadline could attract sanctions, including the possible dismissal of Trump’s lawsuit, unless the court extends the discovery period.
Trump had reportedly cancelled an earlier deposition scheduled for October 16, citing matters of national importance.
However, the BBC’s lawyer, Charles Tobin, told the court that Trump attended political campaign activities in Georgia on the same day.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida in December 2025, seeks 10 billion dollars in damages over the editing of a BBC documentary titled Trump: A Second Chance.
Trump alleges that the broadcaster misleadingly combined separate portions of his January 6, 2021, speech, creating the impression that he directly encouraged violence ahead of the attack on the US Capitol.
The BBC has apologised for the editing, acknowledging that it created a misleading impression, but denies that the documentary amounted to defamation.
The broadcaster has also challenged the legal basis of the lawsuit and argued that the programme was not available in the United States.
The court’s order comes as both sides continue exchanging evidence ahead of the scheduled December 18 deadline for the discovery process.
Trump is now required to sit for the deposition by December 11 as the legal battle continues.
