Trump Seeks to Freeze $10 Billion BBC Discovery as Lawyers Push to Reassign Judge
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 5
Trump Seeks to Freeze $10 Billion BBC Discovery as Lawyers Push to Reassign Judge
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 5
Summary
Trump’s lawyers asked a federal judge in May to pause discovery in his $10 billion defamation suit against the BBC until a bid to shift discovery matters away from Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett is decided.
Lett’s past representation of a client adverse to Trump created an appearance of impropriety, his legal team argued, while the BBC said the move was driven by resistance to subpoenas for financial records.
The broadcaster has subpoenaed the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust—managed by Donald Trump Jr.—as it tries to test Trump’s claim that a 2024 documentary damaged him financially and reputationally.
Trump’s Florida lawsuit, filed in December, seeks at least $5 billion on each of two counts over an edited January 6 speech clip; the BBC has apologized for the edit but is seeking dismissal.
The case now turns on both the discovery fight and the reassignment request, with no immediate ruling date clear and the BBC arguing Trump’s 2024 reelection undercuts any claim of reputational harm.