A federal judge in Miami has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11. The ruling was made during a court hearing on Thursday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued the order, according to multiple news outlets. Judge Lett also warned Trump's attorneys that failing to provide relevant records to the BBC's lawyers could result in the dismissal of the complaint, as reported by Politico.
Trump's legal team had previously requested that the deposition take place between Jan. 11 and Jan. 22. The court did not grant this request, instead setting a firm deadline of Dec. 11.
The underlying lawsuit was filed on Dec. 15. In the suit, Trump alleges that the BBC produced a false and defamatory depiction of him in a Panorama documentary. The documentary aired one week before the 2024 presidential election.
The complaint further claims that the broadcast was part of a brazen attempt to interfere with and influence the election outcome to Trump's detriment.