A US federal judge on Tuesday refused the BBC’s request to dismiss Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the British public broadcaster, allowing the case to proceed.
Trump, who accuses the BBC of creating a misleading video edit of his remarks, quickly hailed the ruling as a “huge victory” on his Truth Social platform.
However, the decision is only an interim win for the US President, as it does not address the substance of the case.
In his ruling, Judge Jeffrey Kuntz said Trump’s claims that the BBC had abandoned journalistic standards were sufficient to plausibly suggest conduct that went beyond simple negligence.
The case centres on excerpts from a speech Trump gave on 6 January 2021, when he was outgoing President, the day his supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to block certification of Democratic rival Joe Biden’s election victory.
Shortly before the 2024 US presidential election, the BBC broadcast separate excerpts from that speech edited in a way that, according to the complaint, made it appear that Trump was explicitly calling for the Capitol to be stormed.
Judge Kuntz wrote that, given the time elapsed between the two statements, the BBC knew or should have known that the segment it produced would not and could not amount to a truthful statement.
He added, however, that the question of whether Trump can prove those claims and show that he suffered harm would be decided later, at trial.
Trump is seeking $10 billion from the BBC, including $5 billion for defamation and $5 billion for alleged violations of a business practices law.
On that second claim, the judge sided with the BBC and dismissed that part of the lawsuit.
In a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday, a BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster was “surprised” by the judge’s decision not to dismiss the defamation claim, while saying it “respects” the court’s authority.
“We remain confident in our position,” the spokesperson added.
