Judge Pauses Order Requiring Trump to Disclose Finances in $10 Billion BBC Suit

A federal judge in Florida granted President Donald Trump a temporary reprieve Thursday from an order requiring him to begin disclosing details of his business empire's financial performance in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC.

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, a 2019 Trump appointee, agreed to put the order on hold while he considers an amended complaint from Trump that would narrow his claim that he suffered damage to both his business and his reputation. By focusing only on reputational harm, Trump's lawyers hope to avoid the need for financial disclosures. The updated complaint has not been made public.

Under an order from Miami-based Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, Trump had been required to begin releasing financial records by Thursday from businesses held by his family trust.

"If the plaintiff's amendment obviates the need to compel a non-party to disclose confidential financial information," Altman wrote, "we think it's prudent to enter a brief stay of the Order until the amendment request is resolved." He called Trump's argument "compelling." The BBC disagrees with it.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December over the British broadcaster's editing, in a 2024 documentary, of the speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol. He contends the edit was misleading because it cut a section in which he said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully. The suit seeks $5 billion for defamation and $5 billion for unfair trade practices.

The publicly funded broadcaster has apologized for the edit but rejects claims it defamed him. The furor produced the resignations of the BBC's top executive and its head of news.

Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said Trump could simply drop the suit if the BBC succeeds in arguing that financial data is relevant to reputational harm as well. "Trump has a history of filing lawsuits and then just dismissing them before they get to discovery," he said.

Stern argued the financial data remains relevant. "You cannot claim $10 billion in reputational damages when you're the president of the United States and you won the presidential election after the reporting that you're complaining about," he said.

A trial is provisionally set for February. Trump is also seeking $10 billion from The Wall Street Journal in a defamation case, and The Associated Press has sued over White House press pool access.