Trump must answer questions under oath in his lawsuit against the BBC
Trump has been ordered to provide answers in his defamation case by December 11.
A US judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by 11 December.
Trump has avoided doing so until now; cancelling a previous deposition on 16 October, citing "matters of national importance" while he was campaigning in Georgia.
The judge in the case, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, said that Trump must sit for the deposition by 11 December, unless the discovery period is extended.
Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the BBC, said in court that "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff" with two months left in the discovery period, during which both sides are legally required to exchange information with each other on their case.
Trump is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
The order to Trump comes after BBC representatives last week asked the judge to compel him to answer questions after the last scheduled meeting did not take place.
Trump's lawyers responded that the president could appear for the interview between 11 and 22 January next year, and claimed that the BBC was "wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action."
Why is Trump suing the BBC?
Trump's defamation case accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech he gave outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The BBC apologised for the error at the time, and said that the broadcast gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action".
But the BBC has also asked that the court dismiss the case, arguing that the incident does not meet the legal criteria for defamation.
More from Mediaweek
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
.jpg%3Fv%3D1792104720481&w=3840&q=75)
