ABC News Settlements Include $15 Million to Trump for Defamation Case Over False Rape Accusations
By Gwen
Posted Oct 29, 2026 at 9:23 PM
ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to former President Donald Trump as part of a settlement in a defamation case. The compensation was reached following a civil lawsuit in which Trump was accused of being “guilty of rape” by one of ABC News’ prominent broadcasters, George Stefanopoulos. The allegations were made during an interview on March 10, 2024, where Stefanopoulos challenged a congresswoman about her support for Trump.
A jury had previously ruled in 2023 that Trump was responsible for “sexual assault” under New York law. However, Judge Louis Kaplan noted that the legal definition of rape in New York is narrower than the common understanding of the term. The settlement, announced by Fox News Digital, includes a $1 million payment to cover Trump’s legal fees and a requirement for ABC News to publish an apology statement expressing “regret” for Stefanopoulos’ remarks.
As part of the agreement, ABC News will also contribute $15 million as a charitable donation to a presidential institution and museum to be established by or for Trump. The network will publish a statement from its editor under the March 10, 2024, article, acknowledging the regret over the statements made by Trump during the interview.
An ABC News spokesperson stated the company was “pleased that the parties reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit in accordance with the conditions set out in the court file.” The settlement marks the resolution of a complex legal dispute that has drawn attention to issues of accountability and the consequences of false accusations.
In a separate case, the woman who initially accused Trump of sexual harassment was later prosecuted for defamation. This case, which took place in 2017, highlights the legal complexities surrounding allegations of misconduct and the potential for legal repercussions for both the accuser and the accused. The resolution of these cases underscores the importance of due process and the need for careful consideration of the legal definitions and implications of such claims.
Source: Read the original report (translated from Arabic)
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
