The BBC is set to file a motion to dismiss Donald Trump's lawsuit over a documentary on his January 6 speech.
Trump files the $5 billion lawsuit in a Florida court last month, accusing the broadcaster of defamation and claiming that the Panorama program misrepresented his words and violated trade practices law.
During his January 6, 2021 speech–given shortly before the Capitol riot–Trump first encouraged his supporters to go to the Capitol and show support for lawmakers and later, nearly an hour later in the same speech, he said, "And we fight. We fight like hell."
While, in the Panorama documentary, the BBC combined parts of Trump's speech to make it seem like he said, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."
The BBC apologised to Trump previously for the way his speech was presented but refused to pay him any compensation and maintains that his claim of defamation is not valid.
Court papers filed on Monday show the broadcaster will argue the Florida court lacks "personal jurisdiction" over the BBC, the court venue is "improper" and that Trump has "failed to state a claim."
The media giant also argues that the Panorama documentary was not shown in the US and did not defame Trump.
Additionally, the broadcaster says Trump has not shown that the documentary caused him any real harm, pointing out that he was re-elected and won Florida by a large margin after it aired.
If the lawsuit moves forward, the court expects the trial to be held in 2027.
