ABC settles Trump defamation case with a $15 million donation
Settlement ends one of president-elect’s pending civil cases
ABC has agreed to donate $15 million to Donald Trump's future presidential foundation or museum to settle claims that one of its anchors defamed the president-elect in describing a past court verdict against him.
The settlement was disclosed in a court filing on Saturday. The agreement came one day after a federal magistrate judge in Miami ordered Trump to appear in-person next week for a four-hour deposition.
Trump accused ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos of defaming him when the journalist said he'd been found "liable for rape" during a March 10 interview with Republican Representative Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week. A jury found Trump civilly liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll; the jury also found that Trump defamed Carroll by accusing her of lying to sell a book.
As part of the settlement, the network agreed to publish a note on its website saying that ABC News and Stephanopoulos "regret" the comments at issue. The network will also pay Trump's lawyers $1 million in attorney fees.
The network said in a statement that it's "pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing."
The ABC suit is one of a small but notable group of civil cases involving Trump that are pending as he prepares to re-enter the White House. He has active cases against CBS and journalist Bob Woodward and publisher Simon & Schuster, and is appealing the dismissal of a suit against CNN.
As a defendant, Trump is facing multiple lawsuits seeking to hold him responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and a defamation case filed by the "Central Park Five" over his comments at a presidential debate this year.
Trump has a history of suing the media over unfavorable coverage. Under the 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times v. Sullivan, public figures such as Trump have a higher burden to prove libel: That the defendant knew that the statement was false or was reckless. Trump and other conservative activists have urged the Supreme Court to reconsider that decision.