BBC seeks subpoenas of Trump family members in Panorama lawsuit

Britain’s BBC has formally requested subpoenas for former U.S. president Donald Trump’s son, daughter and son‑in‑law, as it fights the $10 billion (£7.4 billion) defamation claim filed by the former president.

Court documents filed in May show that the BBC’s legal team attempted to serve subpoena notices to Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner by hand. However, authorities “refused entry at a police checkpoint” for the Florida house, and the Secret Service declined to accept the papers. A later attempt to serve the notices at Trump Tower in New York was also thwarted by hotel staff. Following these setbacks, the BBC has requested that the subpoenas be served via email and certified mail.

Trump’s case stems from a 2024 episode of the BBC’s investigative programme Panorama that cut together two separate sections of his 2021 speech outside the U.S. Capitol. The clip suggested that the former president had called for violent action, a claim the BBC has apologized for, while rejecting that it constitutes defamation.

The BBC argues that the programme does not meet the legal definition of a defamatory statement because it was not broadcast on any U.S. platform and therefore cannot be deemed “published” in that country. Trump’s attorneys have acknowledged that the documentary was not available on BBC’s US streaming services, undermining one of the broadcaster’s key defenses.

Trump also seeks to recover the alleged financial damage to his brand and has asked the court for BBC’s financial records. The BBC, however, has counter‑requested disclosure of some of Trump’s financial filings on the same basis. The case is now scheduled for trial in February 2027, should the court allow the litigation to proceed.

For more on the lawsuit, see: Judge grants Trump’s request to delay handing financial records to BBC

AFP via Getty Images