The BBC is asking a federal judge to compel President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion lawsuit against the broadcaster after his attorneys canceled an Oct. 16 session and proposed dates in January, according to a court filing reported Tuesday by Politico.

The BBC’s lawyers want Trump to confirm a date and secure location for the deposition before the discovery period closes Dec. 18. His legal team had agreed to the October date before citing “other matters of national importance” as the reason for the cancellation.

The broadcaster’s attorneys argued that Trump must comply with the normal requirements of civil litigation, noting that they have already deposed seven witnesses and consider the president central to the case. A hearing scheduled for Oct. 22 is expected to address the dispute.

Trump filed the $10 billion lawsuit in December 2025 over the BBC’s editing of a speech he delivered on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before some of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The lawsuit alleges that the BBC’s Panorama documentary deceptively combined separate portions of the speech to make it appear that Trump directly encouraged violence, while omitting remarks in which he urged supporters to act peacefully. Trump contends the editing damaged his reputation and business interests.

The BBC has apologized for the editing, acknowledging that it created a misleading impression of Trump’s remarks. However, the broadcaster denies defaming the president and has asked the court to dismiss the case, while also challenging whether a Florida court has jurisdiction because the documentary was not broadcast in the state.

A trial is provisionally scheduled for February 2027 if the lawsuit proceeds.