TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A US federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to disclose financial records linked to his business empire as part of his US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, marking a significant development in one of the highest-profile media cases involving the US president.
The ruling was issued during the first discovery hearing in the case in Miami, where Trump is suing the British broadcaster over a 2024 Panorama documentary that included an edited version of his speech before the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
According to The Guardian, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled that Trump must provide financial information held by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the entity established to manage his business interests while serving as president. The decision could provide the BBC with an unusual glimpse into the finances of the Trump family's vast business network, although Trump's legal team is expected to appeal.
Trump filed the lawsuit in late 2025, alleging that the documentary falsely portrayed him as directly encouraging supporters to attack the Capitol by editing together separate portions of his speech. Although the BBC apologized for the misleading edit, it has maintained that Trump's defamation claims lack legal merit.
The broadcaster argues that Trump's financial records are central to evaluating his claim that the documentary damaged his business interests. According to the BBC, evidence could instead show that Trump's wealth continued to grow after the documentary aired, undermining his claim of financial losses.
During Tuesday's hearing, Judge Lett also granted part of the BBC's request for documents related to the discovery process while issuing a split decision on materials connected to the Capitol riot itself.
As reported by BBC, the corporation argued that discovery had become "entirely one-sided," saying it had already produced approximately 87,000 pages of documents while Trump's legal team submitted only about 735 pages consisting largely of publicly available news articles and internet materials.
BBC attorney Charles Tobin told the court the limited production failed to meet discovery obligations. Trump's lawyer Alejandro Brito rejected that characterization, describing the broadcaster's document requests as "oppressive" and "sweeping."
Brito also opposed the BBC's attempts to obtain records of Trump's communications with advisers concerning the Capitol attack, as well as subpoenas targeting former administration officials and federal agencies. He accused the broadcaster of conducting a "fishing expedition" intended to harass former officials.
A major point of dispute centered on a letter sent by BBC Chairperson Samir Shah to Trump in November 2025. In the letter, Shah apologized for the edited Panorama segment, acknowledging that it unintentionally created "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action."
Trump's legal team argued that the letter amounted to an admission supporting the president's claims, while the BBC maintained that the apology did not establish legal liability for defamation.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that Judge Lett also allowed the BBC to pursue subpoenas involving several figures within Trump's inner circle in an effort to gather evidence about his state of mind surrounding the events of January 6. Those requests reportedly include Trump family members and senior advisers such as Donald Trump Jr., Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, although the scope of those subpoenas could still face further legal challenges.
Trump's lawyers are also seeking to narrow the case by amending the complaint. Rather than claiming damage to his businesses, they intend to argue that the documentary caused reputational harm alone. Such a change, they contend, would eliminate the need for extensive disclosure of Trump's financial records.
For now, however, Judge Lett's ruling allows the BBC to continue seeking financial documents while the broader lawsuit proceeds. The broadcaster has separately asked the court to dismiss the case altogether, arguing that the documentary was not broadcast in the United States. The court has not yet ruled on that request.
Read: Trump Suing BBC for Billions Over Edited January 6 Speech
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