ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump for $16 million, according to court filings made public Saturday. The agreement comes just days before depositions were scheduled to begin.
As part of the settlement, ABC News will contribute $15 million to a future presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Trump, in keeping with the tradition of former U.S. presidents. Additionally, the network will pay $1 million to cover Trump’s legal fees.
The settlement also requires ABC News and Stephanopoulos to issue statements expressing regret regarding inaccuracies in the online article tied to Stephanopoulos’ March interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), which sparked the lawsuit.
“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 apology would read, according to the settlement agreement.
ABC News agreed to pay a $15 million donation to a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for [Trump], as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past,” along with $1 million for Trump’s attorney fees, the settlement continues.
The controversy stemmed from Stephanopoulos’ repeated claims during the interview that Trump had been “found liable for rape,” a misstatement related to the outcome of a civil trial involving E. Jean Carroll. In that case, a Manhattan jury in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation but not rape, ordering him to pay Carroll $5 million.
Trump had sought unspecified damages in the Miami federal court case. The settlement marks the conclusion of a high-profile legal dispute between the president-elect and the media network.
