Key facts
- Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, nominated by President Donald Trump, will preside over Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
- Kuntz replaces Judge Roy Altman, another Trump nominee, in the case concerning a BBC 'Panorama' episode.
- The lawsuit stems from the editing of a speech Trump gave on January 6, 2021.
- A trial is currently scheduled for February 2027, with Trump requesting a jury.
- The BBC argues the program was not defamatory and that the Florida court lacks jurisdiction.
A federal judge recently nominated by President Donald Trump has been assigned to oversee the $10 billion defamation case the US president has filed against the BBC. Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, replaces Judge Roy Altman, also a Trump nominee, in the case.
The lawsuit concerns a BBC "Panorama" episode that edited a speech Trump delivered outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump alleges the editing defamed him. The BBC has previously apologized for editing together two different sections of the speech but has asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing the program did not meet defamation criteria and that the Florida court lacks jurisdiction.
Kuntz's appointment to the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in July resulted in the transfer of 17 cases, including this one, to his docket. Trump had praised Kuntz's judicial record in Florida. As an appeals judge, Kuntz was also involved in a previous defamation case where he ruled in Trump's favor regarding a lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize board. His appointment had previously drawn accusations of a conflict of interest, which he denied, stating he was not required to recuse himself under judicial ethics rules.