Trump awarded $15 million in defamation lawsuit

Song Minh |

ABC News has reached a settlement with President-elect Donald Trump, agreeing to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit.

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to a "presidential fund and museum" to settle Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Agreement details

The settlement, made public on December 14, includes ABC News paying $1 million for Donald Trump's legal fees and issuing a public apology.

ABC News will publish a correction to the article related to the lawsuit, stating: "ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret the statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during George Stephanopoulos' interview with Congressman Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024."

“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to close the case pursuant to the terms of the court filing,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement.

Where did the lawsuit originate?

Donald Trump filed a lawsuit earlier this year in federal court in Florida, accusing Stephanopoulos and ABC News of defamation. In a March 2024 interview, Stephanopoulos said 10 times that a jury had found Trump had “raped” former American journalist and writer E. Jean Carroll.

Ms Carroll accused Mr Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store in the mid-1990s and sued Mr Trump for defamation when he denied the allegation. Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

In 2023, a jury found that Mr. Trump had sexually harassed Ms. Carroll, enough to hold him liable for assault, but did not prove that he had committed rape under New York law.

Carroll was awarded $5 million for assault and defamation, and in early 2024, she received an additional $83.3 million for defamatory statements made by Trump later.

However, a judge in August 2023 ruled that Mr. Trump's claim of sexual harassment of Ms. Carroll was "substantially true" in a general sense, even if it did not fit the narrow definition under New York law.

Consequences of the agreement

In his lawsuit against ABC News, Mr. Trump asserted that Stephanopoulos's statements were "false, willful, malicious and intended to cause harm." The case was further complicated when a federal judge in July refused to dismiss Mr. Trump's lawsuit.

The settlement comes just a day after a judge ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to testify next week, avoiding a potential legal risk for Trump as he prepares to return to the White House.

Mr. Trump and the media lawsuits

Mr. Trump has a history of suing major media organizations. In late October, he sued CBS for $10 billion, claiming that its 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris was “biased and unlawfully interfered” in the election, aiming to “mislead the public and tilt the balance of the election” in Harris’ favor.

ABC News' agreement to pay compensation is a significant development, continuing to reflect the strained relationship between Mr. Trump and leading media organizations.

Song Minh
TIN LIÊN QUAN

Trump says he will not abandon Ukraine, proposes EU send troops

|

US President-elect Donald Trump said that if he wants to reach an agreement, he cannot abandon Ukraine.

Mr. Trump was honored as "Person of the Year" for the second time

|

President-elect Donald Trump was named "Person of the Year" by Time magazine on December 12, multiple sources told Politico.

Trump's three plans to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict

|

President-elect Donald Trump's advisers presented him with three plans to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russia accuses Ukraine of violating ceasefire agreement

|

Russia has accused Ukraine of violating the deal while President Zelensky has seen a temporary ceasefire in the energy sector as a diplomatic victory.

Fire in Ho Chi Minh City, mother dies while returning to save her child

|

HCMC - At the time of the fire, the mother rushed to take her young child out and returned home to save the old son. Unfortunately, the house collapsed, both mother and child and the brother died.

Miss Do My Linh's husband becomes Chairman of Vietravel Airlines

|

Businessman Do Vinh Quang - husband of Miss Vietnam Do My Linh has just been elected as Chairman of Vietravel Airlines at the age of just 30.

Myanmar earthquake and measures to reduce aftershocks in Vietnam

|

The earthquake in Myanmar affected some places in Vietnam, so measures should be taken to reduce the risk of aftershocks from neighboring areas.

Hoi An searches for the person who destroyed the ancient town stele near Chua Cau

|

Taking advantage of the dark, the bad guys seriously sabotage an ancient stele near Chua Cau, Hoi An.

Trump says he will not abandon Ukraine, proposes EU send troops

Khánh Minh |

US President-elect Donald Trump said that if he wants to reach an agreement, he cannot abandon Ukraine.

Mr. Trump was honored as "Person of the Year" for the second time

Thanh Hà |

President-elect Donald Trump was named "Person of the Year" by Time magazine on December 12, multiple sources told Politico.

Trump's three plans to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Ngọc Vân |

President-elect Donald Trump's advisers presented him with three plans to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.