A federal judge has allowed President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos to proceed. This case originated from a March interview where Stephanopoulos inaccurately stated that Trump was “liable for rape” while discussing the verdict of a civil lawsuit involving E. Jean Carroll with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). The jury found Trump liable for sexual assault, not rape.
U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga dismissed ABC’s defense under the “fair reporting privilege.” ABC had referenced an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, which did not consider Carroll’s description of Trump as a rapist to be defamatory. However, Altonaga emphasized that Stephanopoulos’s statements specifically related to the jury’s legal findings, not general public opinion.
Altonaga ruled that the issue at hand was whether Stephanopoulos’s comments were substantially true. She stated that a jury could reasonably find the statements defamatory. Trump is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit.
Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, calling it a “big win” and expressing hope that the courts would compel the media to report more accurately. The case highlights ongoing conflicts between Trump and mainstream media, focusing on issues of journalistic integrity and legal responsibility.
Stephanopoulos repeated the inaccurate statement ten times during the interview, even as Mace attempted to correct him. This lawsuit, filed in Miami, underscores the legal challenges faced by media organizations in reporting on high-profile figures and controversial issues.
