ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to a $16 million settlement to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump. This settlement includes a substantial $15 million to a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for [Trump], as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past.”
Another $1 million will be allocated for Trump’s attorney fees, The New York Post reported.
The lawsuit arose from false statements made by Stephanopoulos during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace in March 2024, where he inaccurately claimed that Trump had been “found liable for rape.”
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, said at the time in reference to the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll.
These assertions were particularly damaging given Trump’s existing legal battle with Carroll surrounding sexual misconduct allegations.
Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages to Carroll after he was accused him of sexually abusing her in 1996. However, Trump has consistently denied these allegations.
As part of the settlement agreement, both ABC News and Stephanopoulos will issue public statements expressing regret for the erroneous claims made during the interview, according to the outlet.
“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 apology will read, The Post reported.
The defamation action was initially filed in federal court in Miami, following Trump’s challenge to the accuracy of Stephanopoulos’s remarks. The suit gained momentum amid ongoing discussions about Trump’s legal troubles and his staunch public claims of innocence regarding sexual misconduct allegations.
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