BBC Blocked From Serving Papers to Trump Family Members

The BBC was turned away by police when it tried to serve subpoenas on Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their Miami home. The broadcaster is now asking a federal judge to approve alternative service methods.

• $10 billion is what Trump seeks in his defamation suit against the BBC.
• Secret Service told the BBC it cannot accept subpoenas for the individuals.
• A separate attempt to serve Trump Jr. at Trump Tower also failed.
• Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025 over a 2024 BBC Panorama documentary.

Why it matters: The BBC argues all three family members have direct knowledge of what Trump intended when he spoke at the Ellipse on January 6. That intent is the core question in any defamation claim against a public figure.

• Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were present as Trump revised and delivered the speech, according to the BBC's court filings.
• Kushner drafted a statement condemning the January 6 violence — a statement Trump never issued.

How 12 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether the BBC's editing of Trump's speech — splicing comments made more than 50 minutes apart — constitutes defamation or defensible journalism.

What’s next: A federal court must rule on whether alternative service methods are sufficient before any depositions can proceed.

• A separate fight over Trump's financial records remains unresolved after he narrowed his lawsuit to drop economic harm claims.
• Will the court authorize alternative service, and will Trump's family members ultimately be compelled to testify?
• Does dropping economic harm claims effectively shield Trump's financial records from BBC discovery?