The settlement stipulates that the money will be donated to “a Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for” Trump
WASHINGTON — ABC has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a legal dispute with President-elect Donald Trump, concluding a case stemming from an interview in which Trump accused anchor George Stephanopoulos of defamation.
According to the terms of the settlement, the $15 million will be directed to a “Presidential foundation and museum” to be established by or on behalf of Trump. The settlement, made public on Saturday, also requires ABC, ABC News, and Stephanopoulos to pay $1 million to Trump’s legal team and append a note to an online article about the interview, expressing regret for statements made about Trump.
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit under the terms outlined in the court filing,” said an ABC News spokesperson in a statement.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, directed NBC News to the court filing when contacted for comment.
The legal action was initiated shortly after Stephanopoulos interviewed Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in March. Trump’s legal team argued that statements made by Stephanopoulos were false and defamatory. The original lawsuit claimed that Stephanopoulos “knowingly or recklessly” made multiple false and damaging statements about Trump during ABC broadcasts.
During the interview, Mace, who has publicly shared her experience of being raped as a teenager, was asked about Trump’s treatment of women and the E. Jean Carroll case. Stephanopoulos incorrectly stated that Trump had been “found liable for rape by a jury.” In reality, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a civil case, but the jury did not find him liable for rape, as indicated by their response to the question of whether Carroll proved her rape claim by a preponderance of the evidence.
Trump has consistently denied Carroll’s allegations.
