Politics
Trump asks federal court to block BBC subpoenas for family members in defamation lawsuit
Lawyers for Donald Trump argue the British broadcaster is pursuing politically motivated discovery as it seeks records and testimony from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr.
The short version
- President Donald Trump requested that a federal judge deny the BBC's bid to subpoena Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. in his $10 billion defamation case.
- The BBC asked the court for permission to serve the three family members via certified mail after previous in-person service attempts were unsuccessful.
- Trump's lawsuit claims the network deceptively edited his Jan. 6, 2021, speech in a documentary broadcast ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
- U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, who recently took over the case, has not yet ruled on the service dispute ahead of a scheduled February trial.
Key facts
- Trump's personal attorneys filed a motion asking a Miami federal judge to block the BBC from obtaining testimony and documents from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The BBC requested court authorization to deliver subpoenas via certified mail after process servers failed to serve Ivanka Trump and Kushner due to Secret Service intervention, and subsequently failed to serve Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Trump's $10 billion lawsuit alleges the BBC intentionally spliced together parts of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech to misrepresent his statements in a documentary aired shortly before the 2024 election.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The BBC previously issued an apology for the edit but maintains that it did not defame Trump.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The case was reassigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, a Trump appointee, under a schedule set by a prior judge for a February trial.[ABC News · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Judge Jeffrey Kuntz has not issued a ruling on the BBC's motion to serve subpoenas by certified mail or Trump's opposition to it.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Court records have not provided a reason for the recent judicial reassignment of the lawsuit.[ABC News · Associated Press]