A trial in President Trump’s $10bn (£7.5bn) defamation lawsuit against the BBC has been scheduled for February next year in Miami, Florida.
He is suing over a 2024 Panorama episode that edited together clips of him addressing supporters on the day of the 2021 attack on the Capitol in Washington DC.
Mr Trump said it had given the impression he incited violence and encouraged people to storm the building.
The edited clip used soundbites from the president that were 50 minutes apart in reality – but were spliced together to say: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The 6 January attack on the Capitol is a day of infamy in modern US history, which a Senate report said led to loss of at least seven lives, including five police officers.
The BBC apologised for the edit and admitted it had given a “mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action”.
However, it denies the clip harmed Mr Trump as he ultimately ended up being re-elected.
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It has tried to get the claim dismissed on several grounds, such as arguing that the episode wasn’t available in Florida or the US, and that the court lacks jurisdiction.
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But Florida judge Roy K. Altman said today that a two-week hearing would start on 15 February 2027 and that a BBC attempt to delay the “discovery” part of the case – where both sides can get evidence from each other – was premature.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Mr Trump’s claim seeks $5bn for defamation and $5bn for unfair trade practices.
