December 14th 2024.
ABC News has agreed to settle a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over a controversial segment on anchor George Stephanopoulos' show, This Week. The segment, which aired on March 10, featured an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., where Stephanopoulos made an inaccurate statement about Trump being found liable for rape. The settlement includes a $15 million payment towards Trump's presidential library and a public apology on ABC's website. Additionally, the news network will cover $1 million in legal fees for Trump's lawyer.
In a statement, ABC News expressed their satisfaction with the resolution, stating that both parties have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit as outlined in the court filing. This settlement brings an end to a legal battle between Trump and ABC News that began last year when the president filed a defamation suit against Stephanopoulos and the network. This was in response to the anchor's misrepresentation of the verdicts in two lawsuits brought against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll.
One of these verdicts, which was issued in late 2020, found Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll, resulting in a $5 million payout. In January of this year, a second verdict was reached in Carroll's favor, with Trump being ordered to pay her $83.3 million in damages. However, both of these verdicts were appealed by Trump. It's important to note that neither of these lawsuits involved a finding of rape as defined under New York law.
The judge presiding over both cases, Lewis Kaplan, has clarified that the jury's decision was based on Carroll's failure to prove that Trump had raped her according to a specific section of the New York Penal Law. This technical definition of rape is much narrower than the commonly understood meaning of the term. In fact, the judge acknowledged that the verdicts did not imply that Carroll had failed to prove that Trump had raped her, as is commonly understood. The jury's decision simply reflected their conclusion that Trump had indeed committed the actions described by Carroll.
In light of this settlement, both parties can now put this legal dispute behind them and move forward. While the case may have caused some tension between Trump and ABC News, it's clear that the network has taken responsibility for the error and is taking steps to rectify it. As for Trump, he continues to appeal the verdicts in Carroll's lawsuits, but this settlement with ABC News marks a step towards closure for the president.
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