ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to Donald Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by the president-elect. The lawsuit, initiated by Trump earlier this year, was in response to on-air comments made by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos during an interview in March.
The controversy arose when Stephanopoulos questioned Representative Nancy Mace about her support for Trump, mistakenly stating that Trump had been found liable for “rape” in a civil case involving E. Jean Carroll. However, the actual verdict from the Manhattan federal jury was that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation, not rape, under New York’s legal definitions.
Under the terms of the settlement, which was filed in Federal District Court in Miami on Saturday, ABC News will also compensate Trump with an additional $1 million for his legal fees. Furthermore, both ABC News and Stephanopoulos have issued a statement of regret for the inaccuracies in the broadcast. An editor’s note will be added to the online article of the interview, stating: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”
A spokesperson for ABC News expressed satisfaction with the resolution, noting that both parties were pleased to have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit.
This settlement marks a notable victory for Trump in his broader legal confrontations with various media outlets, previously including unsuccessful defamation lawsuits against CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, where he has often criticized what he refers to as “fake news.”
This development reflects ongoing tensions between Trump and media entities, highlighting the complexities of defamation law, particularly for public figures, and the impact of legal definitions on public perception.