President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC remains on track for now.
A federal judge in Florida ruled Tuesday that Trump’s defamation suit can move forward, but without ruling on the merits. Britain’s state-funded broadcaster had sought to dismiss the case.
LEARN MORE: The judge orders Trump to appear for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by December 11.
Judge Jeffrey Kuntz threw out part of the case, rejecting a claim by Trump that the BBC’s actions violated a Florida law regarding unfair trade practices.
Trump filed a lawsuit against the BBC in December. The Republican president accused the BBC of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair business practices in connection with a documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”
LEARN MORE: Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion, accusing it of deceptive defamation practices over the alteration of his January 6 speech
The BBC acknowledged that the filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of Trump’s speech to his supporters on January 6, 2021, before the storming of the US Capitol, to make it appear that Trump was directly calling for violence.
The broadcaster apologized for the edit, and it was something the judge noted in his ruling on Wednesday. The BBC’s director and its chief news officer have both resigned. The BBC has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.
LEARN MORE: BBC director resigns after criticizing editing of Trump’s January 6 speech
In October, another Florida judge ordered Trump to appear for a deposition in the case by December 11. The BBC’s lawyers had complained that Trump was delaying his appearance in his own trial. Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the BBC, said that with two months to go before the discovery period, “we still have not been able to remove the complainant.” The filing deadline could be further extended.
WATCH: BBC under scrutiny for editing Trump’s January 6 speech
Trump called Kuntz’s latest move a major victory.
“A huge victory against fake news from the BBC, a terrible abuser of the truth, just delivered by the highly respected District Court Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz of the Southern District of Florida,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“We will continue to fight and defeat all those who attempt to deceive the American people!” Trump wrote Tuesday evening.
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