Trump drops 's commercial arm from Panorama lawsuit, but main case remains

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Trump drops 's commercial arm from Panorama lawsuit, but main case remainsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Donald Trump accuses the of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" his 6 January 2021 speechByIan YoungsCulture reporterPublished28 minutes agoDonald Trump has removed the 's commercial arm from his defamation lawsuit over a controversial episode of Panorama, but the US president is still pursuing his multi-billion dollar claim against the as a whole. Last December, Trump sued the and subsidiaries Studios Productions and Studios Distribution over a 2024 Panorama episode that edited together different sections of a speech he gave. The argued that the Studios companies had "no role in creating or producing the documentary, and did not broadcast it in the US".

A court filing on Thursday confirmed Trump's agreement that the claims against Studios should be dismissed, but added: "President Trump shall continue prosecuting his causes of action against defendant British Broadcasting Corporation. "Trump is suing for up to $10bn (£7. 4bn) over the way Panorama spliced together a speech he made before the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

The Details

The lawsuit - filed in Florida - accuses the of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" his speech. The has apologised for an editing error that gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action". However, the has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the programme doesn't meet the legal criteria for defamation and wasn't made available on its US platforms.

Last month, Trump's lawyers admitted they had no evidence that the documentary was available in the US on the 's BritBox subscription service, as they had originally claimed, or on . com, Select or through US broadcasters. Earlier this week, the president's lawyers challenged the 's motion to dismiss the claim, saying the broadcaster had put forward "an untenable proposition" and the case's dismissal would be "a wrongful and unjust result".

They said a jury should decide on the defamation issue, and that the 's geo-blocking technology did not reliably prevent US-based viewers from watching its UK-only iPlayer streaming platform. They said the documentary's production staff gave several people instructions on how to watch it in the US, and also pointed to a post promoting the programme on X. "Together, the evidence shows coordinated conduct directed toward the United States, not 'mere accessibility'," his legal papers said.

"The created an election-timed documentary about a Florida-resident US presidential candidate, promoted it globally through an unrestricted official channel, and positioned it for international and U.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.