Why West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is now fighting the same battle as Donald Trump
West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan is taking legal action against the BBC.
The 77-year-old resigned from his role as a director and stepped down from his joint-chairman role at West Ham in June of this year.
This was done ahead of a BBC Panorama investigation into Sullivan and his alleged behaviour towards women.
It aired in June, and featured accounts from three women who alleged Sullivan abused his power for sex whilst he was the owner of the Sport newspapers.
An additional four women also made claims against him regarding exploitative and predatory behaviour.
Now Sullivan is taking legal action against the broadcaster, which is something that he'd previously vowed to do.
How much is David Sullivan suing the BBC for?
Friday has brought about an expected development in this case, as Sullivan now officially begins legal proceedings against the BBC.
As The Guardian reports, the West Ham co-owner - who still owns a 39 per cent share in the Hammers - is suing the BBC for £150million.
Sullivan's lawyers have now made a high court claim against the BBC pertaining to the Panorama documentary, Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss.
It was a joint-investigation by the BBC and The Times, who both claim their reporters spoke to dozens of ex-models and insiders within the industry.
Sullivan categorically denies the accusations, and his high court claim is understood to accuse the BBC of "libel and malicious falsehood" by broadcasting the documentary.
It also states that the claims made in the documentary opened Sullivan up to "profound public hatred, universal ridicule and global opprobrium."
As detailed via Sky Sports, In addition to the £150m in damages, Sullivan is also looking for a court order to be applied.
If granted, this would require the documentary to be removed from BBC platforms and prevent further publication of the claims.
The report confirms that the BBC have so far declined to comment, with the corporation also dealing with another high-profile legal case too.
What legal battle are the BBC fighting with Donald Trump?
It's a chaotic time for the BBC at the moment, with the corporation dealing with numerous legal cases.
Prior to the case Sullivan has brought against them, the 45th and 47th president of the United States Donald Trump made his own claim against them.
That pertains to another Panorama documentary that edited together two sections of Trump's speech prior to the 2021 riots at the Capitol.
Trump is suing the BBC for defamation worth $10bn (£7.56bn), with the trial set for February 2027 in which the US president has requested a jury trial.