ABC News just settled with Donald Trump for $15 million in a defamation lawsuit hinged on comments from their anchor, George Stephanopoulos. That settlement has underlined some of the complicating factors of media reporting, legal interpretation, and what’s at stake when public figures claim defamation.
Background of the case
The lawsuit was filed over comments from an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on March 10, 2024, during which Stephanopoulos pressed Congresswoman Nancy Mace on her continued support for Trump. On that segment, Stephanopoulos went on to falsely say that Trump had been “found liable for rape” regarding the civil case related to allegations by writer E. Jean Carroll. Yet again, where a jury did find Mr Trump liable for sexual abuse against Carroll, the legal meaning and ramifications of such a term differ considerably from any regular conceptions of rape.
Following those comments, Trump sued ABC News and Stephanopoulos for claiming the anchor acted with “actual malice”, a very high bar public figures must establish to prove defamation. Lawyers for Trump contended that Stephanopoulos knew his comments to be false or acted in such reckless disregard of the truth.
Terms of the settlement
The terms of the announced settlement on December 14, 2024 are as follows. The settlement terms were as follows:
- Monetary compensation: ABC News is to pay US$15 million to cover construction by Trump of a presidential foundation and museum.
- Attorney’s fees: The network also has to pay an amount of $1 million in attorney’s fees charged to Trump by attorneys during the case proceedings.
- Public apology: an on-air apology over the comments by Stephanopoulos by ABC News, and inclusion of an editor’s note in the online article carrying the report of the interview.
The accord means the lawsuit is settled without a trial, scheduled for April 2025. The settlement agreement is extraordinary in many ways, in terms of saving ABC from having to endure what may have been severe adverse pre-trial discovery, including depositions of both Stephanopoulos and Trump.
Significance for media and politics
The settlement has raised questions as to what the decision will mean for media organizations and their responsibilities in reporting on public figures. Media experts say the out-of-court settlement could set a precedent on how news outlets handle potentially defamatory statements against influential people.
This further points out the difficulty faced by the media in reporting politically sensitive stories about powerful personalities like Trump. The paying of damages, coupled with a public retraction, is surely a great victory for Trump in solidifying in concrete his victimization narrative orchestrated by mainstream media.
However, considering the litigious history between Trump and the news organization, history is really not on their side. He attempted similar lawsuits several times, with mixed results, and such a huge settlement could encourage him to file more in the future against other media outlets.
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