ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million and issue a statement of apology to settle the defamation lawsuit brought against George Stephanopoulos and the network by Donald Trump after the anchor inaccurately stated that the president-elect was liable for rape. This is all according to a copy of the settlement, which was filed and released to the public on Saturday.
“ABC shall cause a transfer in the amount of [$15 million] to be made to a presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for the Plaintiff,” reads the settlement. “The Charitable Contribution shall be made by Defendants within 10 calendar days of the Effective Date of this Agreement to an escrow account to be established by Plaitiff’s counsel.”ABC News must also issue an apology statement “within one calendar day” of the settlement’s filing. The statement, which will be added as an editor’s note at the bottom of the interview that sparked the suit, will read, “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.”
Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos after the “This Week” host said the president-elect was found liable for raping journalist and author E. Jean Carroll during an interview on March 10.
This settlement comes one day after Trump was ordered by Federal Judge Lisette M. Reid to sit for a deposition next week in relation to the defamation lawsuit, according to the New York Times.
ABC is also to pay $1 million in fees to Trump’s legal team as stated in the settlement.
Fox News Digital was the first to break the news of the settlement.
From Variety US