ABC To Pay Trump $15 Million For Defamation, Issue Apology
Update (1115ET): What a lame apology...
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) December 15, 2024
ABC News has issued an apology at the bottom of an article they released earlier this year.
The apology was part of a defamation lawsuit settlement President Trump filed against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos.
ABC News and Stephanopoulos are paying $15… pic.twitter.com/RqZRv0aE1s
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ABC News and star anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a settlement with Donald Trump for $15 million, after Stephanopoulos asserted that Trump was found "liable for rape" in a civil case while interviewing Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) last March.
After the network played a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape, Stephanopoulos asked: "How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?"
"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," the host continued, referring to the case brought by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll.
Here is the video 🚨
— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) December 13, 2024
Trump sued George Stephanopoulos after this interview with Nancy Mace for defamation, and Stephanopoulos is now scheduled for a deposition next week
Raise your hand ✋️ if you hope Trump gets every dime he can outta Stephanopoulos pic.twitter.com/kGZnsHML6G
During his contentious discussion with Mace, Stephanopoulos repeated the claim 10 times despite the fact that a jury only found Trump liable for "sexual abuse" - which under New York law is distinctly different from rape.
After the federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, but not rape, Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a later ruling that just because Carroll failed to prove rape "within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’"
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The settlement was publicly filed on Saturday, revealing that the two parties have come to an agreement and avoided a costly trial. According to the settlement, ABC News will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a "Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past." Additionally, the network will pay $1 million in Trump's attorney fees. -Fox News
After Trump sued for defamation, Stephanopoulos was a pissy little midget - telling CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert that he wouldn't be "cowed out of doing my job because of a threat," Fox notes further.
"Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss."
The settlement came after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid recently ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to attend an in-person deposition hearing next week ahead of the Dec. 24 deadline for the defendants to file a motion for summary judgment, in order to avoid a trial.
In his lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and ABC, Trump was represented by Florida attorneys Alejandro Brito and Richard Klugh, who also represent the president-elect in his legal case against CNN. The settlement with ABC was filed in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court where both parties signed and agreed to the terms. -Fox News
The settlement is the latest in a string of legal victories for Trump - ranging from the dismissal of his 2020 election fraud lawsuit, to his classifieds records case. Trump was also granted a request to file a motion to dismiss in his New York 'Stormy Daniels' case.
Trump is separately suing CBS News for $10 billion in damages over "deceptive conduct."