Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News after the anchor Stephanopoulos repeated 10 times during an interview on ABC News that the jury in the New York E. Jean Carroll case found Trump guilty of sexual assault. In a settlement agreement between ABC News and Trump’s legal team, the network agreed to pay Trump $15 million in damages, the outlet said.
ABC News, one of the leading national broadcasters in the United States, will pay $15 million in damages in a libel lawsuit filed by President-elect Donald Trump.
ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to pay $15 million in charitable contributions to “a presidential foundation or museum established by or on behalf of the plaintiff” in a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump and to issue a public apology.
The broadcaster will also pay $1 million in attorney fees for the plaintiff. Trump, who shared the agreement on his X social media account, said, “This agreement is a significant legal victory for Trump and underscores the importance of accuracy in journalism, especially when it comes to public figures.”
According to BBC, A jury in a civil case last year determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse”, which has a specific definition under New York law. As part of Saturday’s settlement, first reported by Fox News Digital, ABC will also publish a statement expressing its “regret” for the statements by Stephanopoulos.
In an earlier high-profile courtroom fight, Donald Trump faced off in a defamation trial with the journalist E. Jean Carroll over claims he sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s. As the trial unfolded in a vitriolic New York courtroom, Trump denied the allegations, calling them without merit. Trump’s legal team, spearheaded by Alina Habba, had multiple standoffs with Judge Lewis Kaplan during the case, which were frequently characterized by the judge stripping the defense’s requests, whether for a mistrial or a trial adjournment. Trump’s conduct, too, was criticized in court, with Kaplan making clear there could be a removal if he continued to disrupt proceedings.
