Trump Lawyers Face Judge’s Scrutiny Over Missed Deadline in BBC Defamation Lawsuit
Judge Orders Explanation for Missed Deadline in BBC Defamation Case
June 8 (Reuters) - A Miami federal judge on Monday ordered Donald Trump's lawyers to explain why they should not be penalized for missing a Friday deadline to respond to the BBC's motion to dismiss the U.S. president's $10 billion defamation lawsuit over a misleadingly edited clip of a speech.
Details of the Missed Deadline
• Trump's lawyers missed the deadline to respond to the BBC's motion to dismiss the case, and on Monday U.S. District Judge Roy Altman directed them to explain why they should not be penalized for their "apparent disregard of court deadlines." A representative for Trump's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Background of the Defamation Lawsuit
Trump's Allegations Against the BBC
• Trump's lawsuit accuses Britain's publicly owned broadcaster of intentionally editing together different parts of a speech to make it appear he directed supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol after his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
BBC's Response and Admission
• The BBC previously apologized to Trump, admitted an error of judgment and acknowledged that the edit gave the mistaken impression that he had made a direct call for violent action.
BBC's Motion to Dismiss
Arguments Presented by the BBC
• The BBC said in a March court filing that the case should be dismissed because Trump had not plausibly alleged the BBC knowingly published false information or recklessly disregarded the truth.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Will Dunham)