The BBC has formally filed a motion asking a Florida court to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The case centers on an edited excerpt of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech that aired in a Panorama documentary.

Why Trump sued

In December, Trump filed the suit in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of trade practices after Panorama condensed part of his speech so it appeared he said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” The edit sparked intense backlash and led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davies and head of news Deborah Turness.

What the BBC says now

The broadcaster apologized for the edit and said it created “the mistaken impression” that Trump had “made a direct call for violent action.” Despite that, the BBC rejected Trump’s demand for compensation and insists there is no valid defamation claim.

A BBC spokesperson said the corporation will defend the case. In a statement they noted, “Put simply, the documentary was never aired in Florida, or the U.S. It was not available to watch in the U.S. on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms including BritBox and BBC Select. We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the President’s claim.”

Key legal argument from the BBC

  • The BBC argues the court in Florida lacks jurisdiction because the documentary never aired in Florida or elsewhere in the United States.
  • Reporters covering the motion say the BBC also points out that Trump won the 2024 presidential election after the program aired, and therefore he “cannot plausibly claim that the documentary harmed his reputation.”

What happens next

If the motion to dismiss fails, the case is slated to go to trial in February 2027. For now, both sides are positioning for a legal fight over jurisdiction and whether the edited segment could have caused the kind of reputational harm required for defamation.

So the short version: BBC says it did not broadcast the edit in the U.S., asks the court to throw out the case, and warns it will defend itself vigorously. The court will decide whether this lawsuit moves forward to the scheduled trial in 2027.