ABC News is set to pay $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential library fund to settle a defamation lawsuit stemming from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ false claims that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. The settlement, reached Friday, also includes a $1 million payment to Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, to cover legal fees.
The case arose from a March 10, 2024, interview on This Week in which Stephanopoulos repeatedly stated that Trump had been “found liable for rape” during a civil trial. The trial, held in May 2023, found Trump liable for sexual abuse but rejected Carroll’s claim of rape. Trump denied the allegations, which stemmed from an incident alleged to have taken place nearly 30 years ago, a claim Carroll herself could not date with precision.
ABC News issued a formal editor’s note acknowledging the inaccuracy, as stipulated by the settlement:
“Editor’s Note: 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 interview had focused on Mace’s defense of her support for Trump despite the allegations, with Stephanopoulos aggressively pressing the claim of liability for rape. Trump’s defamation suit accused Stephanopoulos and the network of acting with “actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
Interestingly, Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton White House communications director, previously led campaigns to discredit women who accused President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct, including Paula Jones, as noted by The Federalist.
The settlement mandates that ABC’s payment be delivered to an escrow account managed by Brito within ten days, just ahead of Christmas.
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” ABC News spokeswoman Jeannie Kedas stated in response to the settlement.
Trump has also appealed earlier civil judgments in Carroll-related lawsuits, including a defamation case that awarded her $83 million. Further developments on the appeals are pending.
