The BBC asked a Florida federal court for permission to serve subpoenas on three members of President Donald Trump’s family, the Associated Press reported. The request matters because the broadcaster seeks evidence to defend against Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit, but the court has not ordered anyone to testify or produce documents.
AP reported the motion’s contents after reviewing the court record. TheFirstFile did not independently inspect the Aug. 14 filing or the contemporaneous docket.
Key Facts
- Federal court: AP reported that the BBC filed the request on Aug. 14, 2026, in the Southern District of Florida.
- Requested service: The BBC reportedly wants to deliver subpoenas to Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. by email and certified mail.
- Procedural status: The request is a motion, not an order requiring testimony or document production.
- Next step: AP reported that Trump’s legal team had until Aug. 21 to respond and opposed the request.
What the BBC requested
According to AP, the BBC said ordinary attempts to serve the three nonparties personally had been unsuccessful. The broadcaster therefore requested alternative service, meaning delivery by email and certified mail instead of ordinary personal service.
AP reported that the BBC seeks documents and deposition testimony from the three proposed subpoena recipients. A deposition is sworn testimony taken before trial.
The BBC argued that the three may have information relevant to Trump’s claims and his intent surrounding his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, according to AP. That position is the BBC’s argument and has not been adopted by the court.
Trump’s lawyers oppose the request
Trump’s legal team told AP that it opposed the requested discovery. The lawyers characterized the request as harassment and a distraction from what they described as the BBC’s liability.
Those statements represent Trump’s legal team’s position, not a judicial finding. AP reported that the court gave the team until Aug. 21 to respond to the BBC’s request.
No ruling granting alternative service or compelling testimony was established as of Aug. 16. The positions of Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. are not established in the cited court records.
What the underlying lawsuit alleges
Trump filed the case against the BBC and two BBC Studios companies in December 2025. His complaint alleges defamation and violations of Florida’s deceptive-trade-practices law over a BBC documentary’s editing of his Jan. 6 speech.
The complaint demands at least $5 billion on each of its two counts, producing the reported $10 billion total. That amount is requested relief, not an award or a finding that Trump suffered that loss.
The BBC defendants dispute jurisdiction and liability. Their March motion asks the court to dismiss the case for lack of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a valid claim.
A motion to dismiss is a party’s request for an early ruling. It does not itself resolve the lawsuit, and the cited sources do not establish a ruling on that motion.
What happens next
The next reported step is Trump’s Aug. 21 response deadline on the alternative-service request. The judge may then decide whether the BBC can use the proposed delivery methods, but granting service would not decide whether the subpoenas ultimately yield evidence.
The broader lawsuit remains pending, and the docket lists a provisional jury trial for Feb. 15, 2027. A provisional date may change as the case proceeds.
