A Florida court has temporarily suspended the disclosure of Trump's financial records in the case against the BBC
A federal judge in Florida has temporarily suspended a requirement to disclose financial information about U.S. President Donald Trump’s businesses in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC. Judge Roy Altman has put the order on hold while he considers Trump’s motion to amend the complaint, Fortune reports, citing the Associated Press.
Trump filed the lawsuit in December over the editing of his January 6, 2021, speech, which the BBC used in its 2024 documentary. The president claims the editing was misleading because, among other things, a segment in which he called on his supporters to demonstrate peacefully was removed from the speech. He delivered the speech before protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington.
The lawsuit seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and another $5 billion for unfair trade practices. Trump initially cited damage to his business and reputation. Now his lawyers are seeking to narrow the claims to reputational damage, hoping this might eliminate the need to hand over financial documents. The updated complaint has not been made public.
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Miami Magistrate Judge Anjolick Lette previously ordered Trump to begin handing over financial documents from companies owned by his family trust. Altman noted that the plaintiff’s argument regarding the potential elimination of the need to disclose confidential financial information is compelling, although the BBC disagrees with it.
The BBC has already apologized to Trump for the editing, but rejects his claim of defamation. The scandal surrounding the documentary led to the resignations of the BBC’s director-general and the head of the broadcaster’s news division.
Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, believes that the financial data may still be important for assessing the reputational damage Trump claims to have suffered. According to him, Trump may also withdraw the lawsuit if the BBC succeeds in having this information deemed necessary for the case. The trial is tentatively scheduled for February.
