Former US President Donald Trump has filed a major lawsuit against the BBC, seeking at least US$10 billion in damages over an edited segment aired on the broadcaster’s Panorama programe. The episode examined the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and included a clip of Trump’s speech, which his legal team says was misleadingly edited to suggest he encouraged violence.
Trump argues that the edit harmed his reputation and violated US defamation laws as well as Florida’s rules against deceptive business practices. The BBC has admitted the edit was misleading and issued an apology, but insists it made an honest editorial mistake and believes the lawsuit has no legal basis.
Legal experts say Trump faces a high bar. As a public figure, he must prove the BBC knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The BBC is expected to rely on strong US free-speech protections and laws designed to quickly dismiss weak defamation claims.
While the US$10 billion figure has drawn attention, experts note such amounts are often used as leverage. Any final damages would be decided by a judge or jury, making the outcome uncertain.
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