ABC, a broadcasting network in the United States, has agreed to pay $15 million in a settlement to end a defamation lawsuit filed by President-elect Donald Trump.
According to reports from the AP and other sources, ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos agreed on Sunday to settle the lawsuit by paying $15 million to Trump’s Presidential Foundation and Museum.
ABC also agreed to pay the plaintiffs the settlement amount and $1 million in legal fees. They will also issue an apology statement stating that “Stephanopoulos regrets the comments he made about former President Trump during an interview with Representative Nancy Mace.”
Previously, Trump claimed that George Stephanopoulos, the host of ABC‘s This Week, defamed him by spreading false information during a March broadcast.
During the program, Stephanopoulos asked Mace about her reasons for supporting Trump despite his past alleged sexual abuse of fashion columnist E. Jean Carroll. He also repeatedly mentioned that Trump had been convicted of “rape.”
In response, Trump’s team pointed out that the court only recognized charges of sexual assault, not rape, and subsequently filed a lawsuit against ABC.
