The BBC said Tuesday it would fight a $10 billion lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over a documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the U.S. Capitol riot.
"As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP, adding the company would not be making "further comment on ongoing legal proceedings."
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, seeks "damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000" for each of two counts against the British broadcaster, for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The video that triggered the lawsuit spliced together two separate sections of Trump's speech on Jan. 6, 2021, in a way that made it appear he explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election win.
The lawsuit comes as the U.K. government Tuesday launched the politically sensitive review of the BBC's Royal Charter, which outlines the corporation's funding and governance and needs to be renewed in 2027.
