U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman, a Trump-appointed federal judge in the Southern District of Florida, has approved a legal maneuver that could shield President Donald Trump's financial records from disclosure in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

The ruling, issued one day before a court-ordered deadline, paused an obligation that would have compelled Trump's trust to produce tax returns, financial statements, and ownership records covering approximately 400 business entities, according to court documents. Forbes reported that the subpoena encompassed individual Trump properties, Trump Media & Technology Group, the Trump Organization, the cryptocurrency company World Liberty Financial, intellectual property holdings, and personal assets including jewelry and art.

Trump's trust filed an emergency motion the day before the deadline, asking Judge Altman to block enforcement of the discovery order, court filings show.

The deadline that Trump's legal team sought to avoid had been established by U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, who issued a written order on July 27 compelling the Trust to produce the records. Judge Lett determined that Trump's own lawsuit placed his finances directly at issue in the proceedings. Under federal civil procedure, parties may obtain discovery on any non-privileged matter relevant to a claim or defense, and courts routinely require financial documentation when a plaintiff asserts business or brand damages.

"All of President Trump's brand, properties, and businesses are impugned…and result in both economic and reputational damage, all of that is now at issue in the case," Lett stated at the July 27 discovery hearing, according to court transcripts.

Trump's legal team responded with an amended complaint that removed claims of damage to Trump's brands and businesses, narrowing the lawsuit exclusively to personal reputational harm. They argued that this revision rendered Judge Lett's financial disclosure order moot.

"[E]ven if there has been a harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages…It is simply the reputational injury to the President, full stop," Trump's attorney said at the July 27 hearing, according to court transcripts. The same attorneys represent both Trump and the Trust, court filings indicate.

The BBC countered by accusing Trump's team of deliberately engineering the amendment to evade financial scrutiny. "[The] Plaintiff is transparently seeking amendment to recast his damages allegations in hopes of avoiding his discovery obligations. The Court should not reward this gamesmanship…" the BBC argued in its court filing. The dispute reflects a recurring dynamic in Trump's litigation against media organizations, where discovery battles over financial records have been a consistent flashpoint in cases including prior defamation suits.

Judge Altman accepted the maneuver but cautioned that it "won't necessarily obviate the need for certain financial disclosures," noting that Trump's $10 billion damages demand remains part of the case. The trial is scheduled for February 15, 2027, according to court records.