ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by the president-elect.
As part of the settlement, ABC will also publish a note on its website expressing regret over a claim made during a March 10 segment on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. Additionally, the network will cover $1 million in legal fees for Trump’s lawyer.
The lawsuit stemmed from Stephanopoulos’ statement during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), in which he inaccurately said that Trump had been “found liable for rape.” The comment misrepresented the jury verdicts in two lawsuits filed by E. Jean Carroll against Trump.
In 2022, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll and was ordered to pay her $5 million. Earlier this year, he was held liable for further defamation claims and was directed to pay $83.3 million. Trump is appealing both decisions.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the cases, clarified that while the jury concluded Carroll had not proven rape under New York’s specific legal definition, it did find Trump liable for sexual assault.
Kaplan also noted that the legal definition of rape is narrower than its common usage, emphasizing that the jury’s findings aligned with the broader, more widely understood definition of the term.
