ABC News to pay $15 million to settle defamation lawsuit filed by US president-elect Donald Trump in an agreement that represents a significant concession on the part of the major news organization and a rare victory for the politician known as a frequent critic of the media, whose previous legal efforts against media outlets have often ended in failure.
According to the terms of the agreement revealed tonight (between Saturday and Sunday), ABC News will donate the $15 million to the Trump Future Presidential Foundation and Museum. The network and its star host, George Stephanopoulosissued a statement in which they “regretted” comments made about Trump during a television interview in March. ABC News, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, will pay Trump an additional $1 million for his legal expenses.
The result is a rare victory for Trump, who has often sued news organizations for defamation and often lost, including in litigation against CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos in March after the host asked the congresswoman Nancy Macea Republican from South Carolina, who spoke publicly about being raped as a teenager, why she continued to support Trump after he was found “responsible for rape” in a civil trial in Manhattan in 2023.
In that case, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation of the writer non. Jean Carrollbut did not find him responsible for the rape. However, the judge overseeing the proceedings later clarified that because of New York’s narrow legal definition of rape, the jury’s verdict did not mean that Ms. Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’ “.
In his lawsuit, Trump accused Stephanopoulos of damaging his reputation by saying several times on air that he was found responsible for Ms. Carroll’s rape. (Mr. Trump was required by the jury in the Carroll trial to pay her $83.3 million in damages. He is appealing the verdict.)
Several media law experts said they believe ABC News could have continued to fight, given the high threshold required by the courts for a public figure like Trump to prove libel. A plaintiff in such a trial must not only show that a news organization published false information, but that it did so with knowledge that the information was false or with substantial doubts about its accuracy.
“Major news organizations have often been very suspicious of settlements in defamation suits brought by public officials and public figures, both because they fear the dangerous precedent of doing so and because they have the full weight of the First Amendment on their side,” she said. Ronel Andersen Jonesa law professor at the University of Utah.
“What we may be seeing here is a change in attitude,” she added. “Compared to the American establishment press a decade ago, today’s press is less powerful financially, more threatened politically, and exponentially less certain that a given jury will value press freedom, rather than adopt the system against it.”
ABC News did not elaborate Saturday on its exact reasons for the settlement. “We are happy that the parties have reached an agreement to reject the lawsuit under the conditions that appear in the submission to the court,” said the chain’s spokeswoman. Trump’s lawyer declined to comment on the agreement.
The settlement agreement in the defamation suit, filed in federal district court in Miami, was signed on Friday, the same day a judge ordered Trump to testify in the case next week in Florida. Stephanopoulos also faced giving evidence.
Tensions have been high between ABC News and Trump’s camp throughout the 2024 election campaign. Trump condemned ABC as “terrible” for its handling of his only confrontation with the vice president Kamala Harriswhen he blames the moderators, David Muir andLinsey Davisfact-checking his answers and pondering the denial of the network’s broadcast license.
He also complained about the connections between Mrs. Harris andDana Waldenthe senior executive at Disney whose extensive portfolio includes ABC News. Mrs. Walden is a longtime friend of the vice president who held fundraisers for Harris at her home. ABC News said Ms. Walden had no role in editorial decisions.
Debra O’Connellthe Disney executive who directly oversees ABC News, dined with Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Walesin Palm Beach last Monday, according to two people briefed on their interaction. The dinner was part of a visit by several top ABC News executives to Florida to meet with Trump’s transition team.
News networks typically hold such meetings before a new presidential administration to discuss issues such as coordination and daily coverage. Another person familiar with the meeting said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Trump’s transition to the White House, not the pending libel suit.
Under the terms of the agreement, ABC agreed to place an editor’s note at the bottom of an online story about the interview with Ms. Mays. The comment states: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald Trump made during George Stephanopoulos’ interview with Congresswoman Nancy Mays on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”
In May, Stephanopoulos was asked about Trump’s pending lawsuit during an appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “How does it feel to be sued by a former president for libel just because you did your job?” Colbert asked. “Unfortunately, it is now part of the territory,” Stephanopoulos replied. “But I will not let the threat of Donald Trump deter me from doing my job.” The crowd cheered.