Donald Trump at his State of the Union address on February 24, 2026
The BBC has filed a motion to have US President Donald Trump’s $10 billion (£7.4 billion) lawsuit dismissed on jurisdiction grounds.
The corporation is being sued by Trump following the broadcast of an episode of Panorama in 2024 which manipulated footage of a speech to imply that the Commander-in-Chief had encouraged followers to storm the Capitol in January 2021.
The President filed for defamation in a Florida court, arguing that it could have influenced the outcome of the 2024 election, but the BBC countered that the documentary was never broadcast in the US, nor did it have any connection to the state of Florida.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us. Put simply – the documentary was never aired in Florida – or the US. It wasn’t available to watch in the US 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.”
The trial has been given a start date of February 15, 2027 in South Florida.
