December 16th 2024.
In a recent development, it has been reported that ABC News has reached a settlement of $15 million in a defamation lawsuit brought against them by President-elect Donald Trump's presidential library. The lawsuit was filed on December 14, and the settlement was agreed upon by both parties. This lawsuit was a result of comments made by George Stephanopoulos on an episode of "This Week" on March 10, where he mentioned that Trump had been found guilty of rape by writer E. Jean Carroll. However, it was later revealed that Trump was actually found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation, not rape.
As part of the settlement, ABC News has also agreed to post an editor's note on their website expressing regret for the statements made by Stephanopoulos during the episode in question. The $15 million will be donated as a charitable contribution towards the construction of the Trump presidential library. It has been specified that the funds will go towards a non-profit organization connected to the library. Additionally, ABC News will also be paying over $1 million in legal fees to Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito.
However, the settlement has sparked backlash on social media, with many questioning why ABC News would cave to Trump when Stephanopoulos was simply stating the truth. Several tweets have pointed out that Stephanopoulos' comments were not much different from what U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan had written in his ruling.
In his ruling, Judge Kaplan stated that although the jury did not find Trump guilty of violating New York's strict legal definition of rape, it did not mean that Trump did not actually rape Carroll. He clarified that the verdict did not mean Carroll's lawyers failed to prove that Trump raped her, as the jury had in fact found that he did.
The New York Times has reported that this settlement by ABC News may encourage Trump or his supporters to file more defamation suits against news outlets that publish critical or "aggressive" coverage of them. It is usually difficult for public figures like Trump to win such lawsuits, as they must prove that the outlet knowingly published false information or acted recklessly in their reporting.
Elizabeth McNamara, a prominent media attorney who represented ABC News and Stephanopoulos, stated that she expects this trend to continue. She also believes that defamation litigation has been used as a tactic to harass or test the boundaries of case law in recent years.
In related news, the Central Park Five have filed a defamation suit against Trump, who had previously accused them of rape. This development highlights the use of defamation lawsuits as a means of silencing and intimidating individuals who speak out against powerful figures.
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