US Judge Orders Trump Lawyers to Explain Missed Deadline in $10 Billion BBC Defamation Suit

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee, ordered the former president’s personal attorneys to explain why they should not be penalized for missing a court deadline in the president’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster BBC. The lawyers failed to file a response to the BBC’s motion to dismiss by the June 5 deadline and instead submitted two last‑minute motions without requesting an extension. The suit alleges the BBC edited portions of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 speech to make it appear he urged supporters to storm the Capitol. The BBC has apologized for the edit, maintains the case should be dismissed, and argues the U.S. court lacks jurisdiction over a documentary that never aired in the United States. Judge Altman set a June 10 deadline for the Trump legal team to justify their “apparent disregard of court deadlines.”