Trending 
A federal judge in Florida has scheduled a trial for February 2027 in President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
District Judge Roy Altman set the jury trial for February 15, 2027, marking the latest chapter in the president’s ongoing legal offensive against major media organisations.
The suit targets the British broadcaster over a “Panorama” documentary that Trump’s legal team claims “maliciously and deceptively” edited his January 6, 2021, speech to falsely suggest he urged supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol.
The legal action seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and another $5 billion for alleged violations of Florida’s trade practice laws.
Trump’s attorneys argue that the BBC’s edit was a deliberate attempt to interfere with the 2024 election by painting the President as an insurrectionist.
The fallout from the documentary has already triggered a crisis within the BBC, leading to the high-profile resignations of its director-general and top news executive after a leaked memo revealed internal errors regarding the clip’s handling.
In its defence, the BBC has adopted a dual strategy of apology and legal dismissal.
While Chairman Samir Shah has formally apologised to Trump and admitted the broadcaster was slow to correct its mistakes, the BBC’s lawyers are fighting to have the case thrown out.
They argue that the Florida court lacks jurisdiction and that the documentary, which did not air in the United States, failed to cause Trump any measurable harm.
To support this, they pointed to his commanding 13-point victory in Florida during the 2024 election as evidence that his reputation remained intact.
The 2027 trial date ensures that this legal battle will remain a fixture of the political landscape well into Trump’s current term.
As the BBC continues to face internal and external pressure over its editorial standards, the case serves as a high-stakes test of international media liability.
For Trump, the lawsuit follows a series of similar actions against news outlets that have occasionally resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements, further fuelling his long-standing campaign against what he labels “fake news.”
