ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have reached a settlement with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump in his defamation lawsuit, agreeing to issue an apology and pay $15 million to a charity.
The settlement, made public on Saturday, December 15, outlines that ABC will contribute $15 million to a “presidential foundation and museum” to be established by Trump or on his behalf. Additionally, the network will cover $1 million in Trump’s legal fees.
Trump initially filed the lawsuit in federal court in Florida earlier this year, claiming Stephanopoulos and ABC News defamed him during a contentious interview in March with South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace. In the interview, Stephanopoulos repeatedly stated that a jury had found Trump guilty of “raping” E. Jean Carroll.
Carroll alleged that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by denying the allegations. While Trump has denied any wrongdoing, a 2023 jury concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll, holding him liable for battery but not rape under New York state law. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for battery and defamation.
In January, Carroll was awarded an additional $83.3 million for defamatory statements Trump made disparaging her allegations. A judge later ruled that while the term “rape” as defined under New York law did not apply, it was “substantially true” that Trump had raped her in a broader sense of the term.
Trump’s lawsuit against ABC News alleged that Stephanopoulos’ statements were “false, intentional, malicious, and designed to cause harm.” In July, a judge allowed the case to proceed, stating that the lawsuit centered on whether it was substantially true to claim that a jury found Trump liable for rape despite its explicit ruling to the contrary.
