(DailyEmailNews.com) – In a stunning victory for President-elect Donald Trump, ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit.
Trump’s legal team filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court.
It revolved around false statements Stephanopoulos made during ABC’s “This Week” broadcast on March 10, 2024.
Stephanopoulos incorrectly claimed several times that Trump was found “liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case, even though a jury explicitly did not find Trump liable for rape.
Trump’s legal team swiftly responded, asserting that Stephanopoulos and ABC News made these statements “with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
The lawsuit argued that Stephanopoulos “knows that these statements are patently and demonstrably false,” highlighting the media’s ongoing campaign to smear Trump’s reputation.
As part of the settlement, ABC News will donate $15 million to a Presidential foundation and museum that Trump will establish.
ABC News and Stephanopoulos will also pay $1 million to cover Trump’s legal fees.
The network will also publish a statement expressing regret for Stephanopoulos’s false claims and add an editor’s note to the online article, clarifying the misstatements.
This settlement serves as a powerful reminder of the mainstream media’s bias against conservatives and their willingness to spread misinformation to undermine Trump and his supporters.
The lawsuit stemmed from the E. Jean Carroll case, where a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not for rape under New York’s narrow legal definition.
Despite this clear distinction, Stephanopoulos repeatedly mischaracterized the verdict, showcasing the media’s eagerness to sensationalize and distort facts to damage Trump’s reputation.
After Trump filed the suit, Stephanopoulos said, “Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss.”
This victory is just one battle in Trump’s ongoing war against fake news. He has filed similar lawsuits against other media giants, including CBS, CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post.
While some cases have been dismissed, Trump continues to fight. He filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News for “deceptive conduct” during an interview with Kamala Harris.
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