$10 billion lawsuit: Trump and BBC clash over sensitive financial documents

The legal battle between the American president Donald Trump The saga at the BBC has taken a new turn. According to the Financial Times, Trump's lawyers have refused to provide the financial information requested by the British broadcaster's lawyers as part of a $10 billion defamation lawsuit.

The US president accuses the BBC of defaming him by broadcasting a documentary that he claims manipulated excerpts from his January 6, 2021, speech to suggest he had encouraged the attack on the Capitol. The lawsuit, filed in Florida in December, cites, among other things, a state law prohibiting deceptive and unfair business practices.

In court documents cited by the Financial Times, the BBC claims that Donald Trump's team is attempting to delay the proceedings while refusing to hand over the financial information necessary to assess the alleged damages. The broadcaster maintains that the president claims to have suffered substantial damage to the value of his brand and businesses, yet has so far refused to provide the data needed to measure this impact.

At the heart of the dispute is the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the entity that holds the president's main assets and business interests. This trust is administered by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Lawyers for the BBC have requested access to documents detailing the value of the assets, properties, and investments held by this entity.

Donald Trump is seeking at least $5 billion in damages for each of the two charges in his lawsuit, for a minimum total of $10 billion. His legal team claims that the BBC acted "intentionally and maliciously" in misrepresenting his statements.

Neither the BBC nor the White House has publicly commented on these latest developments. However, the dispute could become a major issue in the proceedings, as the financial information requested is likely to play a central role in assessing the damages Donald Trump claims to have suffered.