• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

ABC News Settles Trump Defamation Lawsuit for $16 Million, Issues Apology

December 14, 2024

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to a “presidential foundation and museum” and $1 million in legal fees as part of a settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit, according to court documents filed Saturday. The lawsuit was sparked by comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a March 2024 broadcast.

As part of the settlement, ABC News will also issue a formal apology. The network plans to add an editor’s note to the online article at the center of the dispute, stating:
“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. NancOKy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”

An ABC News spokesperson confirmed the agreement in a statement, saying, “We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.”

The legal battle began earlier this year when Trump filed the defamation suit in federal court in Florida. He argued that Stephanopoulos and ABC News mischaracterized a jury’s findings related to allegations made by writer E. Jean Carroll. During an on-air interview with South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, Stephanopoulos repeatedly said a jury found that Trump had “raped” Carroll, a claim Trump denied.

Carroll had accused Trump of raping her in a department store in the mid-1990s and sued him for defamation after he denied the allegations. While the jury in the 2023 case found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, it stopped short of determining that rape had been proven under the legal definition.

The settlement brings the contentious legal dispute to a close as Trump prepares to assume the presidency in January.

By: DNU staff

Filed Under: Featured, Home Featured, News

Related Articles:

  • Lawmakers propose legislation to prevent China’s global military expansion
  • Senator Steve Daines Leads Push to Strengthen Veteran Health Care Access
  • In just a few months, ICE makes 1,000+ worksite enforcement actions
  • Montana Ranks Third Nationally for Lowest Unemployment
  • Poll: College not preparing students for workforce, managers avoid hiring them
  • Sheehy Fulfills Campaign Promise With Blind Trust

Primary Sidebar

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • Law enforcement agencies in 40 states are partnering with ICE 287(g) program
  • Gallatin College MSU’s online courses expand to meet nontraditional student needs
  • UM Video Game Team Scores National Championship
  • In just a few months, ICE makes 1,000+ worksite enforcement actions

Recent Politics Posts

  • Sheehy Fulfills Campaign Promise With Blind Trust
  • Watchdogs: New Montana law restricting foreign money in elections insufficient
  • Knudsen Urges Gallatin County to Support ICE Partnership
  • Zinke Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Modernize Foreign Military Sales Notification Process

Recent Business Posts

  • Poll: College not preparing students for workforce, managers avoid hiring them
  • Bridger Aerospace Lands Record-Breaking Wildfire Contracts for Super Scooper Aircraft
  • Daktronics to Participate in Craig-Hallum’s 22nd Annual Institutional Investor Conference
  • Microsoft Marks 50th Anniversary

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.