(Scypre.com) – ABC News has reached a $15 million settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in response to a defamation lawsuit stemming from comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. The anchor erroneously stated during a televised interview on March 10, 2024, that Trump had been found “liable for rape.” The statements, made during a discussion with Congresswoman Nancy Mace, sparked immediate controversy and led to legal action from Trump’s legal team.
In a civil case in 2023, a New York jury found Trump liable for “sexual abuse” under New York law in connection with allegations by writer E. Jean Carroll. However, the court did not determine that Trump was guilty of rape as defined under the state’s legal statutes. This distinction became a focal point in Trump’s lawsuit against ABC News, as the comments made by Stephanopoulos were deemed misleading and defamatory.
JUST IN: ABC News forced to pay $15 million to Trump to settle defamation lawsuit, George Stephanopoulos forced to issue public apology.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 14, 2024
The development stems from a March incident where Stephanopoulos claimed Trump was found “liable for r*pe.”
Now, ABC News has to pay $15… pic.twitter.com/jsRuetccuv
The settlement, first reported by Fox News Digital, stipulates that ABC News will pay $15 million, which will serve as a charitable contribution to a presidential foundation and museum that Trump plans to establish. This type of arrangement aligns with precedents set by past U.S. presidents in creating libraries and institutions to preserve their legacies. Additionally, the network has agreed to cover $1 million in Trump’s legal fees.
As part of the agreement, ABC News will issue an editor’s note to correct the record. This statement will be appended to the online version of the March 10 article and will read: “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.” The network has expressed satisfaction with the settlement, with a spokesperson stating that they are “pleased the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit.”
This legal settlement comes against the backdrop of a broader context involving Trump’s legal challenges. In 2023, a New York civil court ruled that Trump had sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996. He was also found guilty of defaming Carroll after the incident. However, Judge Lewis Kaplan clarified that Carroll had not proved rape under the “narrow, technical meaning” of New York’s penal law, a definition far more restrictive than broader societal interpretations.
In a separate but related case, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million for further defamatory remarks. Both rulings are under appeal by Trump’s legal team. These cases have added to the extensive list of legal battles involving Trump, who has pursued litigation against multiple media organizations. Notably, Trump’s defamation lawsuit against CNN, which alleged the network compared him to Adolf Hitler, was dismissed by a judge in 2023. Similar lawsuits filed against The New York Times and The Washington Post have also been dismissed.
The March 10, 2024, broadcast that led to this settlement saw Stephanopoulos challenge Congresswoman Mace on her support for Trump. During the interview, the anchor made the false claim that “judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape,” repeating the assertion 10 times throughout the program. The comments were heavily scrutinized, culminating in a federal magistrate judge ordering depositions from both Trump and Stephanopoulos before the settlement was reached.
The settlement underscores the fraught relationship between Trump and the media, as well as the ongoing challenges media organizations face in reporting on highly controversial figures. The resolution allows both parties to move forward, though Trump’s legal entanglements with other media outlets, including CBS, continue to unfold. In a separate lawsuit, Trump has accused CBS of “deceptive conduct” in its coverage of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.