ABC News Settles Defamation Suit with Trump for $15 Million Over False Rape Claim

Dec 14, 2024, 09:33 PM

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to Donald Trump's presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by the president-elect. The lawsuit stemmed from an inaccurate on-air assertion by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos during a March 10 segment on 'This Week,' where he claimed that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump sued Stephanopoulos and the network for defamation soon after the segment aired. The settlement also includes ABC posting a note on its website expressing regret over the claim and paying $1 million in legal fees to Trump's lawyer. This follows verdicts in Carroll's lawsuits against Trump, where he was found liable for sexual assault and defamation, with Trump currently appealing both verdicts.