In a major victory for US President-elect Donald Trump, ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by the Republican leader after the channel’s anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly said Trump was “found responsible for rape” on air. “.
One of ABC News’ top anchors, George Stephanopoulos, was interviewing US Representative Nancy Mays in March of this year when he repeated the statement when Nancy made her pitch to support the president-elect.
According to court filings, ABC News has agreed to donate $15 million to “a presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for plaintiffs,” as established by past United States presidents, the BBC reported.
🚨 George Stephanopoulos and ABC apologize to Trump, must pay $15 million to settle defamation suit https://t.co/tbMRpRjDPI
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 14, 2024
The settlement agreement also states that ABC News and Stephanopoulos will issue a public apology for “regrettable remarks” they made about the Republican leader in an interview in March. ABC News also agreed to pay $1 million in Trump’s legal fees.
The apology, posted below an online news article on the March 10 interview, reads, “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements George Stephanopoulos made about President Donald J. Trump during an ABC This Week interview with Rep. Nancy Mays on March 10, 2024.”
In 2023, Trump was sued in a New York civil court by writer E. Jean Carroll was convicted of sexual assault, which is a separate crime from rape. But the ABC News anchor claimed during an interview with the South Carolina congresswoman that “a judge and two separate juries found him responsible for rape”.
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