Nov. 11 (UPI) — A federal judge in Florida has allowed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC to proceed over allegations that the British broadcaster defamed him by editing clips to make it appear as if he encouraged his supporters to commit violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025, accusing the BBC of airing a maliciously edited version of a speech he gave to supporters before the insurrection attempt to make it appear as if Trump was inciting his supporters to engage in violence at the Capitol. The Panorama documentary aired in Britain days before the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election, and Trump alleges that the BBC intended to undermine his re-election campaign.
Trump filed the two-count complaint, alleging that the BBC defamed him with actual malice and engaged in deceptive or unfair practices under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz on Tuesday, in response to the BBC’s motion to dismiss the case, ruled that the defamation claim could proceed, while dismissing the FDUTPA count.
“Here, the news entity created the story. BBC admitted as much by confirming it had edited a video to make it appear as though President Trump made a statement he never made. And it acknowledged it chose to release the video in a documentary only a week before the 2024 Presidential Election, at the time it would have the most impact. To make sure it was seen in Florida, BBC even emailed U.S. and Florida based commenters with instructions on how to view the documentary,” the Trump appointed judge said in the order.
“Whether President Trump can prove these claims and establish he sustained damages at summary judgment or trial is left for another day. For now, after careful review, and being otherwise fully advised, BBC’s Motion is granted in part and denied in part.”
Trump celebrated the ruling as “A Huge Victory against Fake News BBC.”
“We will continue fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People!” Trump said in a statement.
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster was “surprised” by the court’s decision but respects its authority.
“We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process,” the spokesperson said.
The lawsuit defamation claim centers on the Panorama piece in which two excerpts separated by more than 50 minutes lifted from video of Trump’s speech, were spliced together, making it appear as if Trump called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight.
In rejecting the BBC’s request to dismiss the defamation claim, Kuntz said in his order that while editing is often required, what the BBC did “was not trimming around the edges but creating something different than what was stated in the speech.”
In dismissing the unfair trade practices claim, Kuntz cited an earlier federal appellate ruling that found the commercial purposes of magazines and newspapers do not make individual articles they distribute commercial speech.
“Even if BBC has commercial purposes, that does not convert the Documentary into commercial speech,” he said.
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