Topline
President Donald Trump will be able to update his defamation lawsuit against the BBC to exclude claims the outlet hurt his businesses, a judge ruled Monday, allowing the president to likely escape having to turn over vast amounts of financial information to the broadcaster.
President Donald Trump speaks on July 30 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
Judge Roy K. Altman ruled Monday that Trump is allowed to submit an updated complaint in his lawsuit against the BBC, in which he alleges the broadcaster defamed him by misquoting his speech to supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, in a 2024 documentary.
While Trump initially alleged the documentary harmed both his personal reputation and his businesses, the updated complaint will be narrowed to only allege the documentary harmed his personal reputation.
The edit comes after the BBC subpoenaed the trust holding the president’s assets to turn over a vast amount of financial information in order to prove the documentary actually caused $10 billion in damages—as Trump initially claimed—including information about approximately 400 companies with ties to the president.
By narrowing his complaint, Trump and the trust can now argue the financial information isn’t relevant to the case—though Altman noted Monday that the issue of what can be subpoenaed will still have to be litigated in court.
Altman ruled Trump has “good cause” to amend the lawsuit, as the law requires, because Trump didn’t have some information needed to amend the lawsuit until more recently.
The BBC has not yet responded to a request for comment.
What to Watch for
Trump is required to file his updated lawsuit today, Altman ruled.
What We Don’t Know
What information Trump’s trust could still have to turn over. Altman acknowledged in his ruling Monday that the updated complaint “might change the scope of discovery,” referring to what information the BBC is able to get from Trump. “Whether the amended complaint actually alters the Plaintiff’s discovery obligations is a question we’ll leave for Magistrate Judge Lett,” the judge added, however, referring to the magistrate judge who initially ruled Trump’s trust had to turn information over.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Further Reading
Trump Can Keep Financial Info Hidden From BBC, Judge Rules—For Now (Forbes)
Trump Tries To Keep Financial Information Hidden From BBC In Emergency Filing (Forbes)
What Trump Suing The BBC Could Reveal About His Finances (Forbes)