President Donald Trump dropped part of his $5 billion lawsuit against the BBC on Thursday, dismissing defamation claims against two of the company's commercial subsidiaries while keeping his case alive against the broadcaster itself, according to The Wrap.
A new court filing obtained by The Wrap showed Trump dismissed claims against BBC Studios Distribution Limited and BBC Studios Productions Limited. The filing stated that all claims against what it called the "Studios Defendants" are dismissed with prejudice, with each party bearing its own costs and legal fees. It also made clear that Trump would continue pursuing his case against the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Trump originally filed the lawsuit in December in the Southern District of Florida. The suit alleged that the BBC made a "false, deceptive and defamatory" edit of a Panorama documentary titled "Trump: A Second Chance?" which aired October 28, 2024, ahead of the November presidential election.
The lawsuit claimed the BBC edited a clip of Trump's January 6, 2021 speech in Washington, D.C. to make it appear as though he was calling on supporters to march to the Capitol and fight, while removing a portion of the speech in which Trump told the crowd to march "peacefully and patriotically." A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said at the time of filing that the BBC had "a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump."
Before the lawsuit was filed, Trump threatened legal action and gave the BBC a deadline to retract the program, apologize, and pay compensation. On November 13, the BBC apologized for the edits and pulled the documentary from all streaming platforms, stating it would not be rebroadcast. The apology satisfied one of Trump's three demands but did not prevent the lawsuit.
Representatives for the White House and the BBC did not immediately respond to The Wrap's request for comment on Thursday's filing.
