WASHINGTON—As part of a legal deal with President-elect Donald Trump, ABC will pay $15 million. The settlement revolves around an interview in which Trump claimed that anchor George Stephanopoulos had defamed him.
The details of the settlement, which were made public on Saturday, state that the funds will go to “a Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for” Trump.
According to the settlement, the defendants—who were named as ABC, ABC News, and Stephanopoulos—will also give $1 million to Trump’s legal team and include a disclaimer in an online piece about the interview stating that they “regret statements” about Trump.
When contacted for comment, an ABC News representative sent an email saying, “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.”
Trump communications director Steven Cheung directed NBC News to the document when contacted for comment.
Days after Stephanopoulos interviewed Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on the network, Trump’s attorneys filed the lawsuit, claiming that some of the anchor’s remarks were “false and defamatory.”
Trump’s attorneys claimed in the original complaint that Stephanopoulos intentionally or carelessly made a number of defamatory remarks about the plaintiff on ABC programs.
In the March interview with Stephanopoulos, Mace—who has openly talked about being raped as a teenager—was questioned about Trump’s treatment of women and the E. Jean Carroll case.
In the interview, Stephanopoulos stated that Trump “has been found liable for rape by a jury.” In contrast, Trump was judged not guilty for Carroll’s alleged rape but rather accountable for sexually assaulting her in a civil proceeding. When asked if Carroll had established by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Trump had raped Ms. Carroll, the nine-member jury in that case checked the “no” box.
Carroll’s allegations have been repeatedly refuted by Trump.
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