Topline
President Donald Trump will be able to update his defamation lawsuit against the BBC to exclude claims the outlet hurt his businesses, a judge ruled Monday, allowing the president to likely escape having to turn over vast amounts of financial information to the broadcaster.
President Donald Trump speaks on July 30 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
Judge Roy K. Altman ruled Monday that Trump is allowed to submit an updated complaint in his lawsuit against the BBC, in which he alleges the broadcaster defamed him by misquoting his speech to supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, in a 2024 documentary.
While Trump initially alleged the documentary harmed both his personal reputation and his businesses, the updated complaint will be narrowed to only allege the documentary harmed his personal reputation.
The edit comes after the BBC subpoenaed the trust holding the president’s assets to turn over a vast amount of financial information in order to prove the documentary actually caused $10 billion in damages—as Trump initially claimed—including information about approximately 400 companies with ties to the president.
By narrowing his complaint, Trump and the trust can now argue the financial information isn’t relevant to the case—though Altman noted Monday that the issue of what can be subpoenaed will still have to be litigated in court.
Altman ruled Trump has “good cause” to amend the lawsuit, as the law requires, because Trump didn’t have some information needed to amend the lawsuit until more recently.
The BBC declined to comment to Forbes on the ruling.
What to Watch for
Trump is required to file his updated lawsuit today, Altman ruled.
What We Don’t Know
What information Trump’s trust could still have to turn over. Altman acknowledged in his ruling Monday that the updated complaint “might change the scope of discovery,” referring to what information the BBC is able to get from Trump. “Whether the amended complaint actually alters the Plaintiff’s discovery obligations is a question we’ll leave for Magistrate Judge Lett,” the judge added, however, referring to the magistrate judge who initially ruled Trump’s trust had to turn information over.
Surprising Fact
While the BBC fought Trump updating his complaint, Altman noted the amended lawsuit “will, in some respects, help the BBC,” as it will reduce the scope of potential damages Trump can ask the BBC for. Trump’s proposed narrowing of the lawsuit “represents a substantial diminution in the scope of the available damages,” Altman wrote, also noting it “removes several contested allegations … allowing the BBC’s re-filed motion to dismiss to focus more squarely on its most important arguments.”
Forbes Valuation
Forbes values Trump’s net worth at $6.4 billion as of Monday afternoon. The president’s 10-figure wealth is made up of assets that are all held by his revocable trust, which was created in order to distance Trump from his business empire without having to divest from it. The trust is maintained by Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and only contains the president’s assets.
What Documents Could Trump’s Trust Still Have To Turn Over?
It’s unclear. The initial subpoena called for the trust to hand over a wide variety of documents, including tax returns, showing the value of the overall trust, all the assets in it and the value of hundreds of businesses with Trump ties. Much of that could be considered information that’s specific to Trump’s businesses, however, and thus wouldn’t be applicable to the case once the defamation claims involving his businesses are removed. The initial subpoena did include assets that could be argued are more tied to his reputation, however, like licensing deals that rely on his political popularity. While it hasn’t made any formal court filings regarding what information it will request in response to the updated lawsuit, the BBC previously suggested in court the president’s business dealings are inextricably tied to his public reputation, making them still relevant to the case. Trump “ran for president of the United States on a platform of the art of the deal,” BBC attorney Chuck Tobin said in a July hearing, as quoted by Politico. “You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses.”
Key Background
Altman’s ruling comes after the judge paved the way for it last week, issuing a ruling that kept the Trump trust from having to turn over documents until issues over the new complaint are resolved. Lett, a magistrate judge, previously ruled the financial documents had to be turned over to the BBC starting last week, but Altman agreed with the trust as it argued the documents should be hidden while the issue is litigated—since once they’re turned over, they can’t be taken back. Trump sued the BBC for defamation in December over its 2024 “Panorama” documentary, which quoted the president as telling supporters on Jan. 6, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” In actuality, Trump said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” He then made the comment to “fight like hell” more than 50 minutes later. The BBC has apologized to the president for the editing job, saying it gave “the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action,” but has strongly denied it was defamatory.
Further Reading
Trump Can Keep Financial Info Hidden From BBC, Judge Rules—For Now (Forbes)
Trump Tries To Keep Financial Information Hidden From BBC In Emergency Filing (Forbes)
What Trump Suing The BBC Could Reveal About His Finances (Forbes)