The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
ABC news anchor George Stephanopoulos
December 14, 2024 – NEW YORK, NY - ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to settle a defamation suit brought by President-elect Donald J. Trump. The networks has agreed to issue a public apology and pay the Trump presidential library $15 million.
The settlement avoids the specter of a sitting President of the United States having to testify in a civil trial. The settlement was reached prior to the beginning of court-ordered depositions in which both Trump and Stephanopoulos would have had to testify under oath. week.
Stephanopoulos was sued by the former President after saying on air that Trump had been found guilty of the rape of advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. The jury in the civil trial had actually found that Trump was liable for sexual abuse under New York law, not rape.
The money will go into escrow while Trump is president; but will eventually be used to help build the Trump presidential library. ABC also agreed to pay $one million for Trump's attorneys and assume responsibility for the court costs.
"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 company stated.
ABC had previously filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. That was rejected by the court.
Trump's legal team had argued that Stephanopoulos's comments had damaged Trump's reputation. That claim was weakened somewhat by Trump's win on November 5. Presumably Trump could have won by even more votes if Stephanopoulos had not lied about Trump's behavior on air.
Trump made attacking media figures like Stephanopoulos a key feature of his campaign.
By agreeing to settle the lawsuit and apologize, ABC tacitly admitted that Stephanopoulos lied about Trump on air avoiding a potentially much bigger judgement from a jury in the future. The settlement is a stunning public rebuke of Stephanopoulos as a journalist.
Trump meanwhile has a down payment on a library that likely won't even begin construction for at least 5 years from now. Avoiding depositions that were to begin next week allows the President-elect to focus on his coming inauguration and continuing to build his team for his second administration.
Based on original reporting by Fox News Daily, who originally broke the story on Saturday, the Washington Post, and The Hill.
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