Self-evidently, the BBC has a big decision to make. If it hoped the US president might not follow through on his threat to sue, the reality check has arrived.
Now it is about gaming out the options but current indications are it plans to fight.
"We will be defending this case", the BBC repeated after the $5bn (£3.7bn) lawsuit was filed over an edit of Donald Trump's 6 January 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary.
But what are the pros and cons of that stance - and will it change its position?
Many, both inside and outside the BBC, have told me the BBC has to fight. It has to defend its journalism against a litigious president who, some claim, has been using legal action against US media companies to cow them into submission.
