ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
The big picture: As part of the settlement, ABC will post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim made by Stephanopoulos during a March 10 segment on his “This Week” program.
- The settlement also includes a payment of $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s lawyer.
Driving the news: The lawsuit stemmed from Stephanopoulos’ claim during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., that Trump had been “found liable for rape,” which misstated the verdicts in Carroll’s two lawsuits against him.
- Last year, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll, being ordered to pay her $5 million. In a separate verdict in January, he was found liable on additional defamation claims and ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million.
- The judge in both cases, Lewis Kaplan, clarified that the jury’s conclusion did not equate to a finding of rape within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law.
What they’re saying: “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” said ABC News in a statement.
