A federal judge who was nominated by Donald Trump earlier in the year has assumed control of the president’s $10 billion defamation action against the British Broadcasting Corporation. Jeffrey Kuntz was appointed to the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in July, following Senate confirmation of his nomination in a 51-46 vote led by Republican senators. He replaced Judge Roy Altman, who had previously been overseeing the proceedings after his own nomination by Trump in 2019.
The lawsuit centers on the BBC’s editing of a speech Trump delivered in early 2021 prior to the Capitol riots. Kuntz’s transfer of the case was among 17 matters reassigned to him following his appointment to the federal bench. The broadcaster previously acknowledged altering two separate portions of the remarks but has sought dismissal of the lawsuit, asserting the programme failed to meet legal standards for defamation claims and that Florida courts lack jurisdiction over a corporation based in the United Kingdom since the broadcast was not accessible within that state.
Trial proceedings are scheduled for February 2027, with Trump having requested a jury trial. Kuntz’s assignment to the case has drawn scrutiny regarding potential conflicts of interest, stemming from his involvement in another Trump-related defamation matter while serving as an appeals court judge in Florida. On 12 February 2025, Kuntz was among three judges who ruled to permit Trump to proceed with litigation against the Pulitzer Prize organization regarding awards presented to major news outlets for their reporting on election interference. Kuntz stated that Florida ethics regulations did not require recusal and that his contact with the White House occurred only after he had delivered his legal determination in the earlier case.
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