President Donald Trump has canceled a scheduled deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
His lawyers told the courts that he is unavailable because of “other matters of national importance.”
- 28 that the president could no longer attend. The move has prompted the BBC to seek judicial intervention, arguing that the president cannot indefinitely delay questioning after choosing to file the lawsuit himself. However, his attorneys informed the BBC on Sept. They later advised that Trump would remain unavailable until at least mid-December and proposed rescheduling the deposition for January. The BBC has now asked US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett to address the issue during a hearing scheduled for next week. The BBC argued that Trump’s explanation is insufficient given the stage of the litigation. He added that there is “hardly a more crucial and relevant piece of discovery in a defamation lawsuit than the deposition of the Plaintiff.
Trump was due to be deposed on Oct, according to a court filing submitted Tuesday.
Attorney Charles Tobin told the court that nearly eight months of discovery have passed and seven BBC witnesses have already been deposed. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team defended the decision, saying the lawsuit is “holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”
The broadcaster wants the court to compel Trump to provide a firm deposition date before the discovery deadline expires.
