In what can be termed a significant victory for US President-elect Donald Trump, ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to support Trump’s presidential library, in order to settle a defamation lawsuit stemming from on-air comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos.
The lawsuit arose from Stephanopoulos’ incorrect statement that Trump was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. The settlement agreement, made public on Saturday, also includes ABC News issuing a public note of regret regarding the claim made during the March 10 segment of Stephanopoulos’ program, “This Week.” Additionally, ABC will pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s lawyer.
ABC News Issues Apology
‘We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,’ ABC News stated.
Trump’s lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and ABC News followed comments made during an interview with Representative Nancy Mace, in which the anchor misstated the verdict in Carroll’s civil lawsuits against Trump.
In 2023, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll, resulting in a $5 million payment. Furthermore, in January, he was ordered to pay an additional $83.3 million on further defamation claims. Importantly, however, none of these verdicts determined that he had raped Carroll under New York law.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw both cases, noted that the jury could not find that Carroll had proven Trump raped her ‘within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law.’ He also highlighted that the legal definition of rape is ‘far narrower’ than the common understanding of the term.
Trump’s Political Comeback
Looking ahead, Trump is slated to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States in January. Recently, he was identified as Time magazine’s Person of the Year, marking a notable distinction in his political career. Trump has become the second U.S. president in history to lose reelection and subsequently reclaim the presidency.
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(With inputs from agencies)
