BBC argues Florida has no jurisdiction over January 6 doc that didn't air in the U.S.

The British broadcaster seeks to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over a 2024 episode of its documentary series Panorama.

By Drew Gillis  |  March 16, 2026 | 1:15pm
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
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BBC argues Florida has no jurisdiction over January 6 doc that didn't air in the U.S.

Many of Donald Trump’s lawsuits have been described as frivolous, even if they’ve ended up being paid, such as his lawsuit against 60 Minutes that was settled last year. But The BBC is not interested in settling the $10 billion lawsuit filed against it by the president late last year in Florida. Today, The BBC—which, for the record, stands for British Broadcasting Corporation —asked to dismiss the lawsuit over its 2024 Panorama episode, on the grounds that the episode never aired in Florida, or even the United States. 

“Put simply – the documentary was never aired in Florida – or the US,” said a BBC spokesperson, per Deadline. “It wasn’t available to watch in the US on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms including BritBox and BBC Select. We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court and filed a motion to dismiss the President’s claim.” A trial over the issue is set for next year, as of this writing. 

Trump filed the lawsuit against the BBC in December, about a month after the broadcaster apologized for its edit but argued it didn’t owe him any compensation. The edit in question concerns footage from Trump’s “Stop The Steal” rally on January 6, 2021. The BBC edited two parts of the speech which occurred 50 minutes apart, which it acknowledged gave “the mistaken impression that President Trump made a call for violent action.” However, it has always rejected the claim that the edit was defamatory. 

 
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