Posted in: BBC, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: bbc, opinion, trump

BBC Responds to Trump Lawsuit: "We Will Be Defending This Case"

The BBC responded to Donald Trump's legal team filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the media company, saying it will challenge the suit.

UPDATED: After Donald Trump's legal team filed a lawsuit against the media company over how it edited his words in a 2024 documentary, the BBC responded by making it clear that they will be "defending" themselves in the matter. "As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings." Trump's lawsuit and the legal wranglings expected to result from it come as the broadcaster is under the microscope regarding its funding future, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy launching a review of the BBC's charter this week.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Just when you thought that he would be too busy avoiding questions about Jeffrey Epstein or rambling on at public speaking events like the crazy guy on the subway you move three cars down to avoid, Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to sue the BBC for billions – $10 billion, to be exact. Okay, buckle up, because it's history lesson time. Trump is suing over how the BBC edited his words for the 2024 Panorama film, "Trump: A Second Chance," which his legal team claims offers a false accounting of Trump's role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots in Washington, DC. The doc claimed Trump said, "We're gonna walk down to the Capitol, and I'll be there with you, and we'll fight. We fight like hell, and if you don't fight like hell, you're not gonna have a country anymore." In reality, Trump said, "We're gonna walk down, and I'll be there with you, we're gonna walk down, we're gonna walk down any one you want, but I think right here, we're gonna walk down to the Capitol, and we're gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen."

The resulting scandal would lead to the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and BBC News Chief Deborah Turness. In addition, BBC Chair Samir Shah would apologize for what was referred to as an "error of judgment," while Turness took responsibility, also defending the journalistic integrity of the BBC. Meanwhile, Trump's legal team demanded that the BBC "immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements made about President Trump, which were published in a Panorama documentary that was fabricated and aired by the BBC" in a legal filing. In addition, a statement released by Trump's side added, "The BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally and deceitfully editing its documentary in order to try and interfere in the Presidential Election. President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news," giving the BBC until November 14th to respond.

The BBC would go on to issue an apology to Trump and his legal team, noting, "we accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action." Once again referring to the move as an "error of judgement," the BBC added that the documentary would not be rebroadcast "in this form on any BBC platforms."

In addition, a spokesperson noted that the BBC had responded in writing to the letter it received from Trump's legal team. "BBC chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president's speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme," they said. After reiterating that Trump: A Second Chance? would no longer be broadcast on any BBC platforms, the rep added, "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim."

As Trump continued to threaten to sue the multimedia company, Shah pushed back on Trump's threats in an email to staff, spotlighting the controversy. "There is a lot being written, said and speculated upon about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements. In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our license fee payers, the British public," Shah wrote at one point in the email. "I want to be very clear with you — our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation case, and we are determined to fight this."

It appears Shah and the BBC will get their chance. Trump's legal team filed a lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, claiming defamation on the part of the BBC and that the multimedia company had violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion in damages for each of the two counts, totalling at least $ 10 billion (here's a look at the lawsuit).

"This action concerns a false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump, which was published in a BBC Panorama documentary, that was fabricated and aired by the Defendants one week before the 2024 Presidential Election in a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence the Election's outcome to President Trump's detriment," reads the lawsuit that was filed.

In addition, the complaint adds, "The BBC, faced with overwhelming and justifiable outrage on both sides of the Atlantic, has publicly admitted its staggering breach of journalistic ethics, and apologized, but has made no showing of actual remorse for its wrongdoing nor meaningful institutional changes to prevent future journalistic abuses. Accordingly, President Trump brings this action for compensatory and punitive damages for the extensive reputational harm inflicted upon him by the Defendants."

Regarding the filing of the lawsuit in Florida, along with his having an established residence there, Trump's legal team attempts to establish Florida as the jurisdiction by citing that the BBC has an office in the state and that U.S. subscribers have access to Panorama via the BritBox streaming service. "Additionally, the BBC offers subscriptions to individuals in Florida and, as a result, has thousands of subscribers in Florida. Any individual in the United States, including Florida, can pay for a subscription to the BBC's content and services," the lawsuit notes.

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