ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million (£12 million) to US President-elect Donald Trump to settle a defamation lawsuit after anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed that Trump had been found “liable for rape.”
The statements were made repeatedly during an interview on March 10, 2024, where Stephanopoulos questioned Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for Trump.
In 2023, a New York civil jury found Trump liable for “sexual abuse”—a term with a specific legal definition under New York law—against columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996. However, the jury did not find Trump liable for rape, as defined narrowly under the state’s penal code.
As part of the settlement, first reported by Fox News Digital, ABC News will issue a public statement expressing its “regret” over Stephanopoulos’ comments. The network has also agreed to:
- Pay $15 million as a charitable contribution to a Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Trump, in line with past practices for US presidents.
- Pay $1 million towards Trump’s legal fees.
Additionally, ABC News will publish an editor’s note at the bottom of its March 10 online article, stating:
“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.”
A spokesperson for ABC News said the network is “pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.”
Background
The civil case involving E. Jean Carroll concluded in 2023, with Trump being found liable for sexual abuse but not rape under New York’s narrow legal definition. Judge Lewis Kaplan explained that while Carroll’s allegations did not meet the legal threshold for rape, the term has a broader interpretation in common usage and criminal statutes elsewhere.
In a separate case overseen by the same judge, a jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to Carroll for additional defamatory remarks.
During the March 10 broadcast, Stephanopoulos inaccurately stated, “judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape,” repeating the claim 10 times throughout the segment.
Other Legal Battles
Trump has filed defamation lawsuits against several media outlets:
- A lawsuit against CBS for alleged “deceptive conduct” during an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Previously dismissed cases against CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
In Trump’s CNN lawsuit, a judge ruled against claims that the network had likened him to Adolf Hitler.
