ABC News Settles Defamation Lawsuit with $15 Million Donation to Trump Library
ABC News has reached a settlement to resolve a defamation lawsuit by providing $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library, following a false statement made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. The settlement arises from an incorrect report during a March 10 segment on “This Week,” where Stephanopoulos claimed that Trump was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
As part of the settlement, which became public on Saturday, ABC News issued an editor’s note on its website, expressing regret over the inaccurate statements. In addition to the library donation, ABC will cover $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s attorney Alejandro Brito’s law firm.
The financial contribution to Trump’s library is described as a “charitable contribution” and will support a non-profit organization linked to the future library. “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” stated ABC News spokesperson Jeannie Kedas.
The agreement was finalized on Friday, preceding a federal judge’s order for depositions from Trump and Stephanopoulos, which are now unnecessary due to the settlement. The agreement includes Trump’s signature and electronic signatures from Stephanopoulos and ABC News Group President Debra OConnell.
ABC News is required to transfer the $15 million to an escrow account managed by Brito’s law firm within 10 days, along with the payment of legal fees. The contribution is substantial but only a fraction of the anticipated costs for the library, considering former President Barack Obama’s library was estimated at $830 million in 2021.
The lawsuit was initiated after Stephanopoulos repeatedly misstated verdicts in two civil lawsuits against Trump during a “This Week” interview. Although Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll, the verdict did not include a finding of rape under New York law.
Carroll’s allegations against Trump surfaced in a 2019 memoir, where she accused Trump of raping her in the mid-1990s. Trump denied the accusation, claiming he did not know Carroll and had never met her at the location she described. Carroll sought damages and a retraction from Trump after he disparaged her claims.
At a trial in April 2023, Carroll testified about the incident, affirming, “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen. He lied and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try and get my life back.”
In a ruling upholding a $5 million judgment against Trump, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan noted that while the jury did not find rape in the legal sense, the actions described fit many people’s understanding of the term. Under New York law, the legal definition of rape necessitates vaginal penetration by a penis, with other forms of forcible penetration categorized as “sexual abuse.”
Trump continues to appeal the verdicts in Carroll’s lawsuits.
