The BBC $10 billion lawsuit bought by US president Donald Trump will go to trial in February 2027, a Florida judge has ordered.
It comes after an episode of BBC Panorama sparked a crisis at the broadcaster.
The programme, which was broadcast just a week before the 2024 US election results, is accused of misleading viewers by editing a speech Mr Trump delivered on 6 January 2021.
It spliced two distinct clips, creating the impression that Mr Trump instructed the crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol … and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
President Trump’s lawyers argue the depiction of him given in the edit “was false and defamatory,” and claimed the corporation had “intentionally and maliciously sought to fully mislead its viewers around the world”.
In December the BBC issued a statement confirming it plans to fight the legal action and said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
This is a breaking story, more to follow…
