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ABC has agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Donald Trump after elected president sued the network and host George Stephanopoulos for slander.
In March, Stephanopoulos pressed Congresswoman Nancy Mace of her support for the former president despite a judge finding him “liable for jury-rape,” he said.
“Jury finds Donald Trump liable for defamation of rape victim,” Stephonopoulos. “The judge confirmed that.”
A jury in New York found for Trump liable for defamation and sexual assault E Jean Carroll after he repeatedly called her a liar for speaking publicly about allegations that he assaulted her in the 1990s. Trump has appealed nearly $90 million in judgments against him.
Last year, the judge overseeing the cases wrote that Carroll’s failure to “prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of New York’s criminal law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word.” rape’.”
“Indeed, as the evidence at trial … makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump did in fact do just that,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote.
But Trump’s lawyers sued the network in federal court in Florida and accused Stephanopoulos of making “obviously and provably false” statements about him on air.
A day after Trump and Stephanopoulos were ordered to appear to testify at the upcoming trial, attorneys for the parties informed the court that ABC agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s presidential library.
ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claims made in the March segment.
The network will also be on the hook for $1 million in fees for Trump’s lawyers.
It is a rare victory in litigation for the former president, who has been there before unsuccessfully sued The New York Times and CNNand it is currently is trying to ask CBS for $10 million in damages.
During his presidential campaign, Trump also repeatedly threatened to revoke network broadcasting licenses for airing critical coverage.
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit under the terms of the court filing,” ABC said in a statement on Saturday.