A federal magistrate judge in Florida ruled Tuesday that President Trump must turn over financial records tied to his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, a decision that could open his business empire to scrutiny from the broadcaster’s legal team.
US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett sided with the BBC’s push to obtain financial records from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the vehicle Trump set up to hold his business interests during his presidency. The trust reportedly controls more than 400 companies. The BBC had also asked, separately, for documents connected to the January 6 riot itself. On that second request, Lett granted part of what the network sought and denied the rest.
Related: A $10 Billion Defamation Suit Is Becoming a January 6 Discovery Nightmare for Trump
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Trump sued the BBC in December, accusing the network of airing a Panorama documentary that spliced together separate portions of his January 6 speech to falsely suggest he urged supporters toward violence. His complaint splits $10 billion in claimed damages evenly between a defamation count and a claim under Florida’s law against unfair trade practices.
The BBC has apologized for the edit but denies defamation and is asking the court to dismiss the case outright. Judge Roy Altman has pencilled in a February 2027 trial date in Miami.
Lett explained her reasoning after a three-hour hearing, telling the court that Trump’s own complaint put his businesses at the center of the dispute. “All of President Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are impugned,” she said, adding that reputational and economic damages were now both fair game for discovery.
Trump’s attorneys tried a different approach heading into the hearing, arguing his claims had “evolved” to cover only personal reputational harm rather than any financial hit to his companies. BBC attorney Chuck Tobin pushed back on that, and Lett agreed she had no basis to strip the business-damage allegations out of a complaint that had already put them front and center.
One filing hints at why the BBC wants those records so badly. Lawyers for the network have argued, according to the Mirror, that Trump’s own finances tell a story at odds with his lawsuit, pointing to a net worth that climbed by upward of $1 billion over the past year rather than shrinking the way a business-loss claim would imply.
Trump can still appeal Tuesday’s order to Altman. Separately, the BBC wants to depose Trump under oath, and Tobin told the court Trump’s side has been slow to lock in a date.
