ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a settlement with Donald Trump in the defamation lawsuit filed against the network.
The settlement, which was publicly disclosed on Saturday, December 15, includes a $15 million charitable contribution to a presidential foundation or museum established by or for Trump.
Additionally, the network will pay $1 million in Trump’s attorney fees.
The lawsuit stemmed from remarks made by Stephanopoulos during an interview with South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace in March 2023.
During the interview, Stephanopoulos referred multiple times to a jury finding that Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll, a claim Trump has consistently denied.
Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a department store in the mid-1990s, an allegation Trump has rejected.
While a 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and awarded Carroll $5 million for battery and defamation, it did not find that she had proven the rape claim.
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Later that year, Carroll was awarded an additional $83.3 million in damages after Trump was found liable for defamation for denying her allegations.
In August 2023, a judge dismissed Trump’s countersuit against Carroll, ruling that the claim Trump raped Carroll was “substantially true,” even if it did not meet the legal definition of rape under New York state law.
Trump’s lawsuit against ABC News in March argued that Stephanopoulos’ statements were “false, intentional, malicious, and designed to cause harm.”
The case moved forward in July, with the judge allowing it to proceed despite ABC’s defense, which contended that the statements were not false.
The settlement now brings an end to the legal dispute, with ABC News agreeing to pay the substantial sum and issue an apology to Trump.
The $15 million will be directed toward a charitable foundation linked to Trump.