The BBC has asked a US court to dismiss a $10bn (£7.5bn) lawsuit filed by former US president Donald Trump over the editing of one of his speeches in a documentary, warning the case could have a “chilling effect” on journalism covering powerful political figures.
In legal documents submitted to a Florida court, the broadcaster’s US lawyers argued that Trump’s reputation could not have been harmed by the programme, noting that it aired in the UK a week before his re-election.
They also stressed that the documentary at the centre of the dispute — *Panorama: Trump: A Second Chance* — was never broadcast in the United States, including Florida, meaning the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.
The legal filing warns that allowing such lawsuits to proceed could discourage reporting on prominent public figures.
“All the more so when [the] plaintiff is among the most powerful and high-profile individuals in the world, on whose activities the BBC reports every day,” the court submission states.
“The chilling effect is clear. Federal courts in Florida therefore frequently dismiss defective defamation claims like this one at the pleading stage.”
The BBC’s lawyers also referenced a similar lawsuit Trump filed against CNN in 2022, which was later dismissed as “meritless”. That case centred on the network’s use of the phrase “the big lie” when referring to Trump’s claim that the 2020 US presidential election had been “stolen”.
The current dispute stems from a 12-second clip in the 2024 *Panorama* documentary that combined two different sections of Trump’s speech on 6 January 2021. The edited segment appeared to show Trump telling supporters: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.”
In reality, the lines were taken from parts of the speech delivered nearly an hour apart.
After the issue was raised last year, the BBC issued a correction and apologised to Trump for the edit, acknowledging that it had “unintentionally” created “the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action”.
However, the broadcaster maintains the programme was never shown in the United States.
The legal filing states: “More than a year later, even after being re-elected with the support of a sizeable majority of Florida voters, the president alleged that the documentary defamed him in Florida – where defendants never aired it.”
The BBC also rejected claims that the documentary was available in the US through digital platforms such as BritBox International or BBC.com.
According to the court submission, the programme was never made accessible in the US through iPlayer, online platforms, or any streaming services including BritBox and BBC Select.
Although some international distributors acquired the rights to the documentary, the BBC said none broadcast it in the United States. It also noted that a shorter international version did not include the controversial edit of the 6 January speech.
“The court should dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice at the outset,” the BBC’s filing states.
A BBC spokesperson said the organisation intends to defend the case vigorously.
“We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us. Put simply, the documentary was never aired in Florida – or the US.
“It wasn’t available to watch in the US on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms including BritBox and BBC Select. We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the president’s claim.”