A federal judge stayed an order to compel Donald Trump‘s trust to provide financial documents to the BBC, which the president is suing in a $10 billion defamation claim.
U.S. District Judge Roy Altman set aside for now a magistrate’s order that the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust produce documents dating back to Jan. 1, 2023.
The BBC argued that the documents were relevant as Trump had claimed damages to his brands and businesses. Altman noted that Trump’s attorney no longer intends to pursue damages premised on harm to the businesses, granting the stay until the court rules on whether an amended lawsuit can be filed.
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Trump sued the BBC in December over edits that were made in a documentary about the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
In the documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?, a clip is shown from his January 6 speech, in which he says, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.” In fact, the remark was an edit of different portions of the speech. The documentary aired on Oct. 28, 2024.
The BBC opposes Trump’s effort to amend his complaint, calling it a “transparent effort to avoid the imminent court-ordered deadline to begin producing financial discovery.” Trump’s legal team contend that the revisions “further crystallize and focus this case.”