ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump to settle a defamation lawsuit following inaccurate remarks made by its star anchor. During a March 10 interview, George Stephanopoulos repeatedly stated that Trump had been found "liable for rape" while questioning a congresswoman about her support for him.
In reality, a jury in a civil case last year found Trump liable for "sexual abuse," a term with a specific legal definition under New York law.
As part of the settlement, which was first reported by Fox News Digital, ABC issued an editor's note expressing its "regret" over Stephanopoulos' statements.
The settlement amount will be paid 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."
The $15 million settlement will reportedly be allocated toward Trump's future presidential library, some media reports claimed. Meanwhile, ABC News has also agreed to pay $1 million to cover Trump's legal fees.
As part of the agreement, the network will attach an editor's note to the bottom of its March 10, 2024, online article about the story.
"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," the agreement reportedly reads.
An ABC News spokesperson said in a statement the company was "pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing."
Trump has also filed a lawsuit against CBS, the BBC's U.S. broadcast partner, accusing the network of "deceptive conduct" over an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2023, a judge dismissed his defamation suit against CNN, where he claimed the network had compared him to Adolf Hitler. Lawsuits Trump brought against The New York Times and The Washington Post have also been thrown out.
