ABC News and its top anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a settlement with Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit, agreeing to pay the president-elect $15 million.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 12, 2019: George Stephanopoulos, Chief Anchor at ABC News arrives at the White House in preparation for an interview with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

The settlement was publicly filed on Saturday and avoids what could have been a costly trial for both parties.

Under the terms of the agreement, ABC News will make a $15 million charitable contribution to a future presidential foundation and museum established by Trump.

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The network will also cover $1 million in Trump’s legal fees.

Additionally, ABC News and Stephanopoulos will publish statements of “regret” as an editor’s note at the bottom of a March 10, 2024, online article.

The article stemmed from statements Stephanopoulos made during an interview on ABC’s This Week with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

The editor’s note reads: “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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The defamation lawsuit was initiated by Trump after Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed during the interview that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case.

The statement referred to the legal victory of E. Jean Carroll, who had sued Trump for sexual abuse and defamation.

January 25, 2024; New York, NY, USA; E. Jean Carroll leaves the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in New York City on Jan. 25, 2024, after proceedings ended for the day in the defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump. Carroll is suing Donald Trump for assailing her character and credibility after she accused him of sexual assault. Another jury has already held that Trump owes Carroll at least $5 million. Mandatory Credit: Seth Harrison-USA TODAY NETWORK

During the contentious interview, Stephanopoulos asked Mace, “How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” He followed up with: “Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape.”

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Stephanopoulos repeated the claim ten times during the interview, despite the fact that the jury in Carroll’s case determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse” rather than rape, as defined under New York law.

Judge Lewis Kaplan later wrote that while Carroll failed to prove rape under New York Penal Law, her claims could be understood as “rape” by the common definition of the term.

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Initially, Stephanopoulos was defiant in the face of the lawsuit, telling CBS host Stephen Colbert that he would not back down. “Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss,” Stephanopoulos said.

The settlement was reached shortly after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid ordered depositions for both Trump and Stephanopoulos.

The judge had set a Dec. 24 deadline for a motion for summary judgment, which could have led to a trial.

The settlement was filed in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court, with Trump represented by Florida attorneys Alejandro Brito and Richard Klugh.

Both attorneys are also handling Trump’s defamation case against CNN.

This settlement adds to a series of recent legal victories for Trump and his legal team, led by senior legal adviser Boris Epshteyn.

In a separate matter, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to dismiss his case against Trump related to the 2020 election.

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Smith also withdrew his appeal in the classified records case after a federal judge ruled in July that his appointment as special counsel was unlawful.

Meanwhile, in New York v. Trump, Judge Juan Merchan allowed Trump to file a motion to dismiss charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and removed the sentencing date from the schedule.

Trump is also pursuing a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of “deceptive conduct” in an October interview with, which he claims was an attempt to interfere with the election.

The settlement with ABC News marks another notable chapter in Trump’s legal battles as he prepares to take office in January.