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Trump Secures $15 Million Settlement in Defamation Case Against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos
(TJV) ABC News and its top anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a $15 million settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit stemming from Stephanopoulos’s inaccurate claims about Trump. The settlement, finalized on Saturday, avoids a costly trial and brings closure to the legal battle over statements made earlier this year.
As part of the agreement, ABC News will make a $15 million charitable contribution to a future presidential foundation and museum established by Trump, a practice consistent with past U.S. presidents. The network will also cover $1 million in Trump’s attorney fees.
The dispute arose after Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed during a March 2024 broadcast of This Week that Trump was found “liable for rape” in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. While a jury found Trump liable for “sexual abuse,” it did not find him liable for rape under New York law. Stephanopoulos’s misstatements occurred during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in which he pressed her about endorsing Trump despite the jury’s findings.
In a statement included in the settlement, ABC News and Stephanopoulos expressed “regret” for the comments:
“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 settlement terms require an editor’s note to be appended to the March 10, 2024, article online, clarifying the statements.
Trump’s legal team, led by Florida attorneys Alejandro Brito and Richard Klugh, filed the defamation suit in Florida’s Southern District Federal Court. The agreement was reached just ahead of depositions ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid.
Stephanopoulos had initially defended his comments, citing judicial language that suggested Carroll’s allegations could still be understood as rape in a broader context. However, legal experts criticized his repeated use of the term as misleading.
This settlement is part of a string of recent legal victories for Trump, who is also pursuing defamation claims against CNN and CBS News. Meanwhile, high-profile cases against Trump, including those related to the 2020 election and classified records, have been dismissed or delayed, marking significant momentum for the president-elect’s legal and political teams.
The resolution underscores the tensions between the media and Trump as he prepares to assume office in January 2025, maintaining his combative stance against what he has often labeled “fake news.”
