US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett issued a formal court order directing President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition under oath by December 11. The judicial order comes after lawyers representing the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) accused the president’s legal team of repeatedly delaying his testimony. The judge warned that failure to comply with the discovery schedule could bring severe legal sanctions. Consequently, the federal court emphasized that non-compliance could result in the complete dismissal of Trump’s multi-billion-dollar lawsuit.
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Trump originally agreed to give his sworn testimony on October 16, but his attorneys canceled the session citing urgent national matters. However, BBC defense attorneys argued in court filings that the president instead attended political campaign rallies in Georgia that same day. The broadcaster further alleged that Trump’s legal counsel sought to postpone his deposition until January 2027. Meanwhile, court-mandated evidence discovery rules require all depositions to conclude before the official December 18 deadline.
The legal dispute stems from a BBC documentary segment that spliced separate sections of Trump’s speech delivered on January 6, 2021. Trump’s legal team filed the ten-billion-dollar lawsuit in December 2025, alleging defamation and unfair trade practices. While the BBC acknowledged misleading editing choices and apologized, the media network firmly denies legal liability for defamation. Following internal reviews of the incident, two senior BBC executives previously tendered their resignations.
As part of ongoing discovery proceedings, the court permitted the BBC to subpoena financial and membership records from Mar-a-Lago. Broadcaster attorneys maintain that reviewing these commercial records is necessary to evaluate and challenge Trump’s claims of severe reputational harm. Additionally, the BBC issued a subpoena seeking testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith regarding the January 6 investigation. However, Trump’s legal defense filed formal objections, asserting that Smith lacks firsthand knowledge directly relevant to the editing controversy.
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The impending December 11 deadline places significant pressure on Trump’s personal legal team to coordinate court appearances alongside presidential schedules. Legal experts note that plaintiffs filing civil lawsuits remain legally obligated to sit for depositions despite holding public office. Failure to satisfy court discovery rules could force the dismissal of one of the highest-profile media lawsuits in recent years. Legal observers worldwide continue monitoring pre-trial developments as the discovery deadline approaches.