ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. The lawsuit stemmed from inaccurate statements made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a broadcast on March 10, 2024, when he falsely claimed Trump had been “found liable for rape.”
The statements were made during an interview on This Week with South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, where Stephanopoulos repeated the claim multiple times while questioning her support for Trump. In reality, a 2023 civil case determined Trump was liable for sexual abuse under New York law, not rape, due to the state’s specific legal definitions. The same jury also found Trump liable for defaming E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $83 million in damages, a verdict Trump is appealing.
As part of the settlement, ABC News will pay $15 million toward a planned Trump presidential library and museum. The network also agreed to cover $1 million of Trump’s legal fees. Additionally, ABC issued an editor’s note on its March 10 article, expressing regret for the error and clarifying the context of the jury’s findings. The network stated it was pleased to resolve the matter “on the terms outlined in the court filing.”
This settlement is one of several legal actions Trump has pursued against media outlets, including CBS and CNN. A federal judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against CNN in 2023, and cases against The New York Times and The Washington Post were also thrown out.
This case underscores the legal and reputational risks faced by media organizations reporting on high-profile figures, highlighting the challenges of balancing speed, accuracy, and accountability in journalism.
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