BBC seeks subpoenas for Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. in $10 billion defamation case

The BBC has asked a U.S. court to compel testimony from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. as part of its defense in a defamation lawsuit seeking $10 billion, according to filings reported by Deadline on Aug. 15. The request centers on the broadcaster’s argument that the Trump family members have personal knowledge relevant to what Donald Trump, now the 47th president, intended when making or endorsing the statements at issue in the case.

The dispute arises from a defamation claim brought by President Donald Trump against the BBC. The lawsuit, filed in the United States, seeks damages totaling $10 billion. In court filings “yesterday,” the BBC argued that it is entitled to obtain testimony from the president’s son and daughter and from Kushner, his son-in-law, because they purportedly know the president’s intentions related to the contested matters, Deadline reported.

The BBC’s move is framed as part of normal litigation process, seeking subpoenas to secure testimony and supporting information. Deadline’s report did not describe the specific broadcasts or statements in dispute beyond noting that the defamation suit is tied to the president’s allegations against the broadcaster. It also did not provide the court’s response to the subpoena request or any ruling timeline.

The subpoenas would increase the pressure on high-profile figures to comply with court-directed discovery, including requirements that can be administratively burdensome for public figures and their counsel. For the BBC, the request reflects a strategy to challenge the claims by attacking intent-related elements that can be crucial to defamation disputes, particularly where a plaintiff attributes alleged wrongdoing to a publisher’s actions or dissemination decisions.

The case also highlights the legal exposure broadcasters face when covering politically sensitive stories and when public claims are contested in court. Defamation litigation can turn on factual accuracy, editorial decision-making, and what a plaintiff knew or intended when he made or promoted the underlying allegations. By seeking testimony from multiple members of the president’s close circle, the BBC is indicating that it views their accounts as central to disputed issues in the record.

For President Trump, the lawsuit represents an effort to seek significant damages from the BBC. At the same time, the subpoena request underscores that the litigation will likely focus on discovery, evidence-gathering and intent-related questions before any merits determination. Until the court rules on the subpoena requests, it remains unclear what specific topics the court would allow the BBC to pursue, or whether any constraints would be placed on the scope of testimony.

The next procedural steps depend on the court’s response to the subpoena request and any motions to quash or narrow discovery. If the subpoenas proceed, the parties would then confront scheduling, document production demands if ordered, and testimony preparation. If the court denies or limits the subpoenas, the BBC may need to rely more heavily on other evidence already in the case record.

Regardless of outcome on the subpoena request, the litigation’s size, including the $10 billion damages demand, indicates the dispute is being treated as high stakes by both sides. The BBC’s request for testimony from multiple Trump family members also suggests that the dispute may involve complex claims about intentions, attribution, and how statements were understood or conveyed when they became the subject of the defamation action.