Judge orders Trump to give deposition in BBC defamation case

A US federal magistrate judge has ruled that President Donald Trump must sit for a sworn deposition as part of his $10bn defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster BBC.

Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued the order on Thursday, requiring Trump to answer questions from BBC lawyers under oath. The deposition must take place by December 11, or Trump risks sanctions, including possible dismissal of the lawsuit.

Trump had originally been due to give the deposition on October 16 but cancelled, citing a matter of national importance. BBC lawyer Charles Tobin said Trump was instead campaigning in Georgia that day, suggesting he had chosen political activity over the scheduled deposition.

The case against the BBC is one of several defamation lawsuits Trump has filed against media organisations over coverage he considers unfair. He is also pursuing a separate $10bn defamation claim against The Wall Street Journal, which he refiled in May after an earlier dismissal, as well as a $15bn case against The New York Times and publisher Penguin Random House.