ABC, Stephanopoulos Must Apologize to Trump, Pay $15 Million to Settle Defamation Suit
The $15 million counts as a charitable contribution towards a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past.”
ABC News and George Stephanopoulos must apologize to President-elect Donald Trump and pay $15 million as a charitable contribution towards a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past.”
Hahaha. ABC and Stephanopoulos will help pay for Trump’s future library and museum.
Trump filed a defamation suit after Stephanopoulos interviewed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) during This Week on March 10, 2024.
Stephanopoulos told Mace that a judge and two juries found Trump “liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape.” He repeated the claim ten times during the segment.
After the federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, but not rape, Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a later ruling that just because Carroll failed to prove rape “within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’”
New York has three degrees for sexual abuse and a statute for persistent sexual abuse.
Laura Beth Nielsen of Northwestern University explained the difference:
Well, the distinction in law is about penetration.
So what we know that he has been found liable for is touching, grabbing, groping for his own sexual pleasure against her will. And, in a way, it’s a distinction without a difference. Somebody who’s willing to do one over the objection of a victim is probably willing to do the other.
But from a legal standpoint, it is a different charge.
The settlement avoids a long trial.
The defendants have to pay the $15 million “within 10 calendars days of the Effective Date of this Agreement to an escrow account to be established by Plaintiff’s counsel.”
The statement must be published within one calendar day of the effective date.
The statement: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”
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Comments
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory.”
Kilgore was here!
Unfortunately, our war will never end.
This was a really stupid of Stephanopoulos,
If he would have used the correct words: ‘The jury found by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Trump sexually abused Ms. Carroll and therefore was liable for battery,'” he would have been correct, and there would never have been a lawsuit.
But…he didn’t. He lied instead. And now they have to pay $15 million. So sad. Or not.
If you have a tool you can deploy to instantly defame someone and irreparably damage their reputation, the price for misusing that tool needs to be so high, no one would consider doing it. This price, 15 million, is far too low.
The reality is $15M is a gigantic settlement when it comes to defamation. This highlights what an unbelievable pair of outliers the more recent settlements/jury awards against Fox News and Alex Jones were. Without those two awards, $15M would be one of the largest defamation settlements in US history. Really makes you wonder why they’d pay that much just to keep Stephanopoulos from being deposed.
30(ish) years ago, ABC was sued by Food Lion for an outrageous act of defamation where ABC essentially fabricated evidence against the grocer by staging certain ‘undercover’ video scenes that they used in a expose against Food Lion. That case was litigated for more than a decade. While Food Lion prevailed in the end, I think they eventually only received $5M or less.
Will the mo ey come from his former employers. The Clintons
Well, Trump had no chance of being elected so what was there to lose by lying about him repeatedly?
Answer: Apparently, $15 million.
And reputation…which given their recent antics means there are in severe repetitional debt!! Reputation bankriptcy if you will!
The best part is that they did this all on their own accord!
This is rich. Trump now has the funds to start building the presidential library, and ABC is paying for it.
So much WINNING!
I’m sure that there will be a section devoted to the liars in the media. Look for the “Stephanopoulos Collection”. 😇😁
Trump should issue a statement, thanking ABC news and George for their generous first contribution to the presidential library, and if they would like to contribute any more, he would be glad to accept.
Saying you regret something is not an apology.
Looks like Trump may get his presidential library before Biden. Although, given that he was president once already, I’m sort of surprised he doesn’t already have one.
Democrats are balking at donating to pay for Joe’s library, they must be furious that they’re donating to Trump’s.
Pony up Stuffy the Clintonest
I bet that will really stick in the craw of Snuffleupagus
Trump let them off much easier than they would have let him off.
Once again, showing their view of him is delusional and deranged, not to mention slanderous in 15 million ways.
Maybe Chrystal Mangum can explain to Jean Carroll how good it feels to come clean and admit the rape didn’t happen.
Jean will never admit that. False accusations are her career. Admittedly, she’s quite bad at it, but its the only way she can make a living. Cat food is expensive, after all.
There is another big defamation suit sitting out there against Jake Tapper and CNN. After seeing this, Tapper must be sweating.
$15 million ain’t chump change even to ABC news but I suspect the apology and the use of the settlement to fund a Trump Presidential Foundation burns far worse.
>>“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.”<<
That's the "apology" they demanded from ABC News and Stephanopoulos? That?!?? That isn't even close to an apology. Of course ABC News and Stephanopoulos regret the statements. All ten of them. It cost them $15 million. But an apology? Hardly.
It should have read something more like:
"ABC News and George Stepanopoulos would like to apologize for making the false statement "that a judge and two juries found Trump “liable" for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape.” ten times during a March 10, 2024 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) on the show This Week. We acknowledge the statement is not true and apologize for broadcasting such a heinous falsehood.
George knows a lot about sexual abuse and rape because it was his job working for Willie to go after and crush any bimbo eruptions. He was brutal to so many women so this just a little payback!
The MSM finally being held to account for lying is sweet but the icing is having them donate to Trumps Library. Hahahahahahahaha
George should have said that a judge found that Carrol might or might not have proved that Trump raped her in a way that such people might understand the meaning of rape. That would make things crystal clear.
“Chrystal Mangum” clear.
I was hoping this would make it’s way to SCOTUS so they could kill New York Times vs Sullivan which goes way too far in protecting the media. Especially in today’s age of digital media.
Oh cool, so the President-elect is only guilty of not-technically rape. Awesome.
He was not found guilty at all. Civil trial. No guilt.
So let’s make this clear for all you Democrats:
Trump was NOT found guilty of rape, like Clinton committed.
He was found guilty of sexual touching, like Franken committed.
Like Democrats REALLY are about either, right?
are -> care