Florida judge orders Trump to produce trust financial records in BBC defamation case
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A Florida judge has ordered President Donald Trump to disclose financial documents from his revocable trust, part of the discovery phase in the BBC's defamation lawsuit over a Panorama segment.
A judge in Florida ruled that President Donald Trump must turn over financial records held by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which he established to manage his businesses while in office. The order was issued during the first hearing of the BBC's defamation suit, in which the broadcaster is contesting Trump's $10 billion claim that a Panorama episode edited his speech to suggest he called for violence on Jan. 6, 2021.
Judge Enjoliqué Lett granted the BBC’s motion for the trust documents but denied a separate request for materials related to the Capitol riot itself. The case is now in the discovery stage, with both sides exchanging internal records that may support their arguments.
"The BBC has produced 87,000 pages of documents, while the Trump side has provided only 735 pages, which consist mainly of news articles and internet material," the corporation’s lawyers said.
The BBC also sought records of Trump’s conversations with aides about the riot and subpoenas to federal agencies, which Trump’s counsel opposed, citing a November letter from BBC Chairman Samir Shah that apologized for the Panorama clip and said it unintentionally gave a mistaken impression of a direct call for violent action.