President Donald Trump's legal team has declined to hand over "improper" financial information to lawyers for the BBC.
Mr Trump launched a $10billion (£7.5 billion) lawsuit over an episode of BBC documentary series Panorama, broadcast in 2024, claiming it had given the impression he encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021 after he lost the election to Joe Biden.
The US President alleges the broadcast caused him reputational and financial injury and had harmed "the value of his brand, properties and businesses".
However, the BBC has served a subpoena against the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, managed by the President's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, as the sole trustee, which holds the Potus's business interests and assets, reports the Financial Times.
According to court filings, the BBC's legal team has requested the production of financial documents that reflect its holdings and value, assets, inventories and lists of properties held.
As part of the request, the broadcaster sought after information regarding almost 400 entities owned by or associated with the trust, as well as requests for tax returns.
The trust's legal team, which is the same as the one representing the President, has issued "multiple" objections to the BBC's requests.
Documents revealed President Trump’s legal team said the 30-day timeline sought by the broadcaster's legal team to turn over "tens of thousands of documents from hundreds of non-parties" was "unreasonable" and "improper".
President Donald Trump said the BBC's request was 'unreasonable' and 'improper'
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President Trump's legal team said Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett's "prior representation of a client that was directly adverse to President Trump creates an appearance of impropriety," in a request opposed by the BBC.
Meanwhile, the BBC's lawyers said: "The impetus...appears to be the flat refusal by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, a third party that is represented by the same counsel as plaintiff, to provide any financial information under subpoena."
The lawsuit, filed in Florida in December, says the BBC violated a state law that bars deceptive and unfair trade practices. He is seeking damages of at least $5billion on each of its two counts.
A spokesperson for the President's legal team claimed the BBC was liable for "intentionally and maliciously defaming him by distorting and manipulating his speech".
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The BBC has called for the lawsuit to be thrown out
|REUTERS
In a statement, the spokesman added: "President Trump will continue to hold accountable the BBC and all those who traffic in fake news."
The broadcaster apologised to Trump for the edit, but wants his lawsuit thrown out.
President Trump's subsequent reelection in 2024 showed the alleged defamation did not harm his reputation, the broadcaster said in court papers released in March.
The BBC declined to comment when approached by GB News.
The case between the BBC and President Trump will be heard next year
|REUTERS
The case is set for a two-week hearing at the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US Courthouse in Miami from February 15 next year.
Court documents list the plaintiff as President Donald J Trump, with the British Broadcasting Corporation et al as defendants.
In the episode, a clip from Mr Trump’s speech on January 6 2021 was spliced to show him saying: "We’re going to walk down to the Capitol...and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."
The corporation argues it did not create, produce or broadcast the documentary in Florida and Mr Trump’s claim that the documentary was available in the US on streaming service BritBox is not true.
A BBC spokesman previously 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."