According to court filings on Saturday, ABC News will pay a $15 million settlement to end a defamation case launched by President-elect Donald Trump.
Top anchor George Stephanopoulos’ remarks that Trump was “liable for rape” in an interview with US Representative Nancy Mace that aired in March were the basis for the lawsuit.
The deal stipulates that ABC News must contribute $15 million to a fund for “a presidential foundation and museum” for Trump.
The news organization and Stephanopoulos will also issue public apologies saying they “regret statements” made about Trump during the aforementioned interview, and the broadcaster will pay an addition $1 million in attorney fees.
The case was settled one day after Judge Lisette M. Reid requested depositions from both Trump and Stephanopoulos.
Trump had been found liable for sexual abuse — a different transgression from rape under New York law — in a 2023 case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
The settlement is the most recent in Trump’s run of successful legal battles since he won the presidential election on November 5.
The allegations against Trump for allegedly mishandling sensitive data after leaving the White House were dismissed by a US appellate court last month.
Although Trump is facing racketeering charges over the same matter in a Georgia case, US Special Counsel Jack Smith also halted a second federal lawsuit involving Trump’s attempts to tamper with the results of the 2020 election.
Judge Juan Merchan has also indefinitely postponed sentence for Trump’s conviction in the hush money case in May, which is the only criminal accusation against him that has gone to trial.
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