▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
Britain's public broadcaster BBC has asked a court to order U.S. President Donald Trump to undergo questioning directly in a damages lawsuit filed against the network by President Trump.
According to the British daily The Guardian, BBC legal counsel urged the court in a motion filed at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on the 13th to issue a compulsory enforcement order, stating that President Trump, who is central to the lawsuit, is intentionally avoiding attendance for a deposition.
A deposition is a procedure in U.S. civil litigation where attorneys from both sides call the opposing party or key witnesses before a trial officially begins to hear and record their testimony.
President Trump filed a 10 billion dollar (approx. 13.4 trillion won) damages lawsuit against the BBC in December 2025, claiming he suffered damages because the BBC's current affairs program "Panorama" maliciously edited his speech at a supporter rally during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The BBC acknowledged the editing error and officially apologized, but President Trump did not withdraw the lawsuit.
Originally, the BBC and President Trump's side had agreed to conduct President Trump's deposition on the 16th, but the schedule was postponed.
President Trump's attorney cited "major affairs of state" as the reason for notifying his absence, stating that attendance would only be possible in mid-January next year.
In this lawsuit, discovery—the mandatory process by which plaintiffs and defendants mutually disclose and collect evidence and information—began nearly eight months ago.
The BBC legal team stated its grievance in the motion, saying, "Even with only two months left in the discovery investigation deadline, we have not only failed to conduct a deposition of the plaintiff himself, who is the most crucial figure, but have even been unable to schedule one."
The U.S. District Court for the District of Florida plans to discuss whether to compel President Trump's deposition during a hearing regarding discovery on the 22nd.
Depositions typically take place outside of court, but if a party avoids them or is uncooperative, they may be conducted under a judge's supervision.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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