ABC News to Pay $15 Million Towards Donald Trump’s Presidential Library to Settle Defamation Lawsuit
ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million towards Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over a segment on its “This Week” program. Anchor George Stephanopoulos had stated that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll, which was inaccurate. As part of the settlement, ABC News will post an editor’s note on its website expressing regret and will also pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito.
The settlement agreement describes the $15 million payment as a “charitable contribution” that will go towards a non-profit organization being established in connection with Trump’s library. The payment will likely cover a fraction of the cost, as former President Barack Obama’s library was estimated to cost $830 million.
Trump sued ABC News and Stephanopoulos over the inaccurate statements, claiming that the network had misstated the verdicts in Carroll’s two civil lawsuits against him. Carroll had accused Trump of rape, which he denied, and she sued him for defamation and sexual abuse.
The settlement means that ABC News will no longer need to pay for sworn testimony from Trump and Stephanopoulos, who were ordered by a federal judge to sit for depositions next week.
