ABC Settles Trump Defamation Case for $15 Million
President-elect Donald Trump and ABC agreed to a $15 million settlement in Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the network over comments anchor George Stephanopoulos made during a March 10 broadcast about a jury verdict on sexual assault allegations that journalist E.…
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Jean Carroll brought against Trump. The U.S. District Court for Southern Florida issued an order closing the defamation case Monday. ABC will pay $15 million as a contribution to the foundation responsible for constructing Trump’s presidential library, the settlement agreement said. The network must also attach a note to an article on ABC's site stating that ABC News and Stephanopoulos regret the anchor's statements. Under the settlement, the network also agreed to pay $1 million for Trump’s legal costs. The defamation complaint was based on a Stephanopoulos interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on his Sunday ABC television show. Stephanopoulos repeatedly said during the interview that multiple juries found Trump liable for raping Carroll. In 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll but not for raping her. Generally, it is considered difficult for public officials to win defamation cases, because under U.S. Supreme Court precedent it requires proof that the journalist's statement was made with malice. As such, the bar for bringing such a case is “high” but not “insurmountable,” said Wilkinson Barker broadcast attorney David Oxenford in a blog post about a defamation case against Fox. Some see ABC’s settlement as connected to Trump’s impending presidency and his history of threats against the network. Trump has repeatedly threatened the network’s “license” (see 2409230022) and a conservative group has filed an FCC complaint against the network over its hosting of a 2024 presidential debate. ABC’s decision to settle the case instead of fighting it could “increase the possibility of additional lawsuits -- or threats of lawsuits -- from government officials who probably couldn’t actually win a defamation lawsuit because of the strong First Amendment protections that exist when speaking about those public officials or public figures generally,” said Freedom Forum First Amendment specialist Kevin Goldberg in an interview Monday. ABC didn’t comment.