Donald Trump has reached a $15 million defamation settlement with ABC News after false claims about being found “liable for rape” in an interview with George Stephanopoulos.
In a major legal development, Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, has secured a $15 million settlement from ABC News in a defamation lawsuit stemming from a controversial interview on the network. The settlement follows false claims made by anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump had been found “liable for rape,” statements which were later retracted by the news organization.
The defamation case emerged from an interview on March 10, 2024, during which Stephanopoulos interviewed Congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for Trump. In the segment, Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed that Trump had been found liable for rape by both a jury and a judge. Specifically, he stated:
“Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge.”
These assertions were based on a civil case where a jury determined that Trump was liable for “sexual abuse” against writer E. Jean Carroll, but crucially did not find him liable for rape under New York law’s specific definition. The legal distinction between common perceptions of rape and the technical definition used in court was not made clear during the interview.
Under the terms of the settlement, filed in federal court in Miami, ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to a presidential foundation and museum that Trump intends to establish. The network will also contribute $1 million toward Trump’s legal fees. Additionally, ABC News will publish an editor’s note attached to the online article about the March 10 broadcast, acknowledging regret for the erroneous statements made by Stephanopoulos:
“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.”
An ABC News spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the resolution, stating:
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms outlined in the court filing.”
Previous Legal Context
In 2023, a New York civil court found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996. While Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, the court did not find evidence to support claims of rape under New York law’s specific definitions, an important distinction that was overlooked in Stephanopoulos’s interview.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the Carroll case, noted that while Carroll’s evidence was insufficient to prove rape in the legal sense, the jury’s finding of sexual abuse still stood.
Trump’s legal team hailed the settlement as a victory. They argued that Stephanopoulos’s statements were “patently and demonstrably false.” Following the ruling, Trump indicated plans to pursue further legal actions against other media outlets he believes have defamed him.
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