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ABC and George Stephanopoulos Pay $15M, Apologize to Trump to Settle Defamation Suit over Rape Remarks

Dec 15, 2024, 03:56 PM

ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to pay $15 million and issue a public apology to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump. The lawsuit stemmed from Stephanopoulos's remarks during a March interview on 'This Week,' where he repeatedly claimed that a jury found Trump 'liable for rape' in a lawsuit filed by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. In fact, the jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, not rape, under New York law. As part of the settlement, ABC will make a $15 million charitable contribution, placed in escrow, to Trump's future presidential library and foundation, and pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump's attorney Alejandro Brito's law firm. The network expressed 'regret' for the inaccurate statements in an Editor's Note. Following the settlement, George Stephanopoulos appears to have deactivated his account on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).