Judge Orders Trump to Disclose Finances in BBC Defamation Case

A federal judge has ruled that President Trump must turn over detailed financial records as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, rejecting his legal team’s attempt to keep the information sealed.

President Trump has been ordered by a federal judge to hand over detailed financial records connected to his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. The ruling is a blow to Trump’s attorneys, who had fought to keep that information out of the case entirely.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December against the British broadcaster, which is funded by public money. He claims the BBC defamed him by editing his January 6, 2021 speech in a way that made it look like he had told his supporters to storm the Capitol.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett didn’t buy that argument. She ruled Tuesday that because Trump’s complaint specifically alleges harm to his businesses, the BBC has every right to ask for information tied to those businesses, Politico reported. During the hearing, Lett said that Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are all part of what’s being claimed as damaged, and that reputational and economic harm are now both on the table in this case.

There’s an irony here that Politico pointed out. A lawsuit that appeared aimed at grabbing headlines and pushing news outlets toward Trump’s version of events could end up doing the opposite, handing journalists access to financial details Trump has long tried to keep private. The outlet described the BBC’s legal approach as a deliberate move to raise the stakes and make it costlier for Trump to keep pursuing the case.

Judge Lett said she didn’t have the authority to strip the business-related claims out of the complaint on her own.

The BBC has since apologized for how the documentary was edited, but the network is still pushing to have the lawsuit thrown out entirely. Its legal team has argued that since Trump won the 2024 election shortly after the documentary aired, it’s hard for him to credibly claim it hurt his public image. The BBC has also pointed to court statements from more than 100 people charged over the January 6 riot, many of whom told judges they viewed Trump’s speech that day as a call to action.

On top of that, the broadcaster is arguing the case shouldn’t even be heard in a U.S. court, since Panorama isn’t broadcast within the United States.

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