Request for evidence to support claims of reputational and financial harm from Panorama documentary dismissed as ‘fishing expedition’

June 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers asked a federal judge in May for a stay of the discovery process in his $10-billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, pending the outcome of a request to shift such matters to a different judge.

President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

Donald Trump’s lawyers have reportedly refused to provide financial records demanded by the BBC, which is being sued by the president over its coverage of the Jan 6 insurrection. The deadlock is the latest move in the legal action in which Mr Trump is demanding $10bn (£7.5bn) in damages from the broadcaster.

The BBC is facing one of the most challenging periods in its modern history as questions about media independence, political influence, public trust, and funding continue to intensify. Donald Trump’s criticism of the broadcaster has added fuel to an already heated debate over the role of public media in a rapidly changing information landscape.

Trump initiated the lawsuit, alleging the publicly funded BBC defamed him by selectively splicing together parts of a January 6, 2021, speech to make it appear that he directed supporters to storm the U.

Jeremy Bowen said the conflict was based on the president's "flawed assumptions".

The British Broadcasting Corp. issued a wave of subpoenas to dozens of members of President Donald Trump’s inner circle as part of its defense in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit, raising fresh questions about Trump’s speech before the Jan.