US President Donald Trump drops part of BBC lawsuit in latest legal filings

Donald Trump has dumped a portion of his lawsuit against the BBC, as per new legal filings seen on Thursday.

The US President has dismissed defamation claims he made against BBC Studios Distribution Limited and BBC Studios Productions Limited. Trump has, however, not dropped the entire suit against the British public broadcaster, but merely his claims against the commercial and production arms of the BBC.

Trump’s lawsuit against the public broadcaster remains in place.

As per legal documents released Thursday: “Plaintiff President Donald J. Trump and Defendants BBC Studios Distribution Limited and BBC Studios Productions Limited (together, the ‘Studios Defendants’), by and through their respective undersigned counsel, hereby stipulate and agree that, in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), all claims in this action asserted against the Studios defendants are hereby dismissed with prejudice, with each party to bear its own costs and attorney’s fees.”

The filing states: “President Trump shall continue prosecuting his causes of action against Defendant British Broadcasting Corporation.” The US president claimed in court documents that the edit harmed “the value of his brand, properties, and businesses”.

Trump’s initial defamation suit, filed in December 2025, seeks $10 billion (£7.49 billion) in damages from the UK national broadcaster in relation to the editing of a 2024 Panorama documentary. The documentary covered the US Capitol riots back in 2021.

Trump is seeking the damages from a Florida court after accusing filmmakers of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” footage capturing his speech on January 6, before his supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC.

The BBC issued a formal apology for the “mistaken impression” created by the documentary, which was broadcast a week before the US election. However, the broadcaster has rejected Trump’s demands for compensation, with BBC lawyers arguing in February that the case should be thrown out of US courts as there was no evidence that the Panorama special was viewed in the US.

Tim Davie, who was the BBC’s director-general, and Deborah Turness, the BBC’s head of news, stepped down in the wake of the revelations.

The US government is now considering joining the continuing litigation, raising the prospect that documents that the BBC’s lawyers requested from the US president – including phone records and diary entries – could be withheld on the grounds of executive privilege or risks to national security.

Trump’s lawyers have accused the BBC’s representatives of conducting a “fishing expedition” after they sought financial information regarding a trust holding the President’s business interests and assets.

The BBC’s lawyers said the details from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which is managed by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, were needed so it could assess the financial impact of the Panorama programme.

A trial date has been set for February 2027 in Florida.