Media lawyer explains significant legal hurdles Trump faces to sue BBC

Media lawyer explains significant legal hurdles Trump faces to sue BBCSOURCE: BBC Breakfast

Transcript

00:00Well, there are more than a few legal tripwires between President Trump and a legal victory

00:05against the BBC. I'll just quickly run them through. One, a UK defamation claim is now out

00:13of time. He had one year from Monday, October the 28th, 2024, when Panorama aired. So he's

00:2014 days or so out of time for a claim in the UK. A claim in Florida would be within time.

00:27It's a two year limitation there. But the problem for President Trump's lawyers is that

00:33Panorama wasn't broadcast in the USA and BBC iPlayer isn't available in the USA. So it's not

00:41clear that any US court would have jurisdiction to hear the claim. And once you get over those

00:49sort of procedural impediments, as it were, there are other rather ticklish problems for

00:55President Trump's lawyers. Trump's reputation has already been battered by nine judicial findings,

01:05some congressional hearings, global coverage of the January 6th. And he faces ongoing civil lawsuits

01:13in Washington itself. And also a special counsel report alleging a criminal scheme to make or to have

01:24civil insurrection. So proving that Panorama caused additional serious harm is a bit of a stretch.

01:33If it can be shown by the BBC that his reputation was already in tatters on this issue, blaming the BBC for

01:43the wreckage of that I think is a bit of a tough sell.