BBC asks Florida court to dismiss Trump defamation suit over Panorama edit
Mar 16th 2026
The BBC has asked a Florida court to dismiss President Trump’s multibillion dollar defamation suit, saying the Panorama episode in question was never aired in the US and the court therefore lacks jurisdiction.
- BBC filed a motion to dismiss arguing the Florida court lacks personal jurisdiction because the Panorama episode was not broadcast in the US.
- Donald Trump is suing for defamation and billions in damages, saying the edit made it appear he encouraged the January 6 attack.
- The BBC says the programme aired only on UK channels and iPlayer and was not available on BritBox, BBC Select, or other US platforms.
- The corporation disputes claims that a North American distributor aired the version containing the contested edit, and Blue Ant says buyers did not air it in the US.
- The BBC has apologised for the edit but denies malice or that Trump suffered harm, noting he was re-elected after the broadcast.
- A Florida judge denied the BBC's request to delay discovery and Trump has roughly two weeks to respond to the motion to dismiss.
- If the case moves forward a tentative trial date in 2027 has been indicated.