ABC News has reached a settlement of $15 million (£12 million) with US President-elect Donald Trump in response to a defamation lawsuit. This agreement follows remarks made by the network’s prominent anchor, who inaccurately claimed that Trump had been deemed “liable for rape.”
During an interview on March 10 this year, George Stephanopoulos repeatedly questioned a congresswoman regarding her support for Trump.
A jury in a civil case last year found Trump liable for “sexual abuse,” a term that carries a specific definition under New York law.
In a settlement announced on Saturday, which Fox News Digital initially reported, ABC has agreed to issue a statement conveying its “regret” regarding the remarks made by Stephanopoulos.
ABC News has agreed to a settlement that includes a $15 million charitable contribution to a presidential foundation and museum, which will be established by or for the plaintiff, following a precedent set by past Presidents of the United States.
The network has contributed $1 million to cover Trump’s legal expenses.
The settlement stipulates that the network will include an editor’s note regarding the story after its online news article is published on March 10, 2024.
ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have expressed regret over statements concerning President Donald J. Trump made during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.
An ABC News spokesperson stated that the company is “pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.”
In a significant ruling in 2023, a New York civil court determined that Donald Trump sexually abused E Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996. A conviction for defamation against the magazine columnist was also handed down.
Judge Lewis Kaplan stated that the jury determined Ms. Carroll did not meet the burden of proof required to establish that Trump raped her “within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law.”
Judge Kaplan observed that the legal definition of rape is “far narrower” compared to the broader interpretations found in contemporary language, various dictionaries, and criminal laws in other jurisdictions.
A jury has ruled that Trump must pay Ms. Carroll $83.3 million for further defamatory remarks in a separate case overseen by the same judge.
On the broadcast dated March 10, host George Stephanopoulos posed a question to South Carolina Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace regarding her endorsement of Trump.
The anchor inaccurately stated that “judges and two separate juries have determined his liability for rape.”
Throughout the broadcast, Stephanopoulos reiterated the claim on ten separate occasions.
In anticipation of the upcoming ruling, a federal magistrate judge has mandated that Trump and Stephanopoulos provide sworn testimony during depositions scheduled for next week.
Former President Trump has initiated legal action against CBS, the US broadcasting partner of the BBC, citing “deceptive conduct” related to an interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2023, a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against CNN, where he claimed the network had compared him to Adolf Hitler.
Lawsuits he filed against both the New York Times and the Washington Post have been dismissed.
