President-elect Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against ABC has been formally dismissed after he reached an agreement $15 million settlement With the network and its lead anchor, George Stephanopoulos.
The lawsuit was dismissed under a stipulation filed Monday and signed by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, according to a document obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Having been notified of the parties’ settlement and otherwise fully informed of the premises, it is hereby ordered and adjudicated agreeing to the stipulation,” the filing said. “The above action is dismissed with prejudice to each party bearing its attorney's fees and costs.”
The dismissal comes after the two parties reached an agreement Avoid a costly trial.
According to the settlement, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million in charitable contributions to “a Presidential Foundation and Museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as established by Presidents of the United States of America in the past.” In addition, the network will pay $1 million for Trump's attorneys' fees.
Stephanopoulos and ABC News were also to issue statements of “remorse” as a note to the editor at the bottom of the March 10, 2024, Online article About comments made earlier this year that prompted Trump to file the defamation suit.
“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret the statements regarding President Donald J. Trump during an interview George Stephanopoulos conducted with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024,” the memo says.
Trump filed the defamation suit against Stephanopoulos after he asserted that Trump was “liable for rape” in a civil case during a controversial interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, in March.
After playing a clip of Mace discussing being a rape victim, Stephanopoulos asked her: “How do you reconcile your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?”
President-elect Donald Trump has sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor repeatedly insisted he was “liable for rape,” despite the fact that a jury had already decided Trump was liable for “sexual assault,” which has a different definition under New York. law. (Getty Images)
“You endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries found him liable for rape and defamation of the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, referring to the legal victory won by Trump's accuser E. Jean Carroll.
Stephanopoulos repeated this claim ten times During his altercation with Mace, despite the fact that the jury had already decided that Trump was liable for “sexual assault,” which has a different definition under New York law.
After a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual assault, but not rape, Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a later ruling that just because Carroll failed to prove rape “within the meaning of New York penal law does not mean she failed to prove it.” Mr. Trump “raped” her as many people normally understand the word “rape.”
The settlement came after US Judge Lisette M. Reed Trump ordered Stephanopoulos will sit for depositions before a Dec. 24 deadline for defendants to file a motion for summary judgment to avoid trial.
President-elect Donald Trump gestures to AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scottri)
Trump was represented by Florida attorneys Alejandro Brito and Richard Klug. The settlement with ABC was filed in the Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida where both parties signed and agreed to the terms.
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A spokesperson told ABC News Fox News Digital At the time, the network was “pleased” that the case was settled.
Fox News' Gabriel Hayes and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
