In a recent legal development, ABC has lost its motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos. The case revolves around statements Stephanopoulos made during a March 2024 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, where he asserted that two separate juries had found Trump liable for rape.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, claims that Stephanopoulos’s remarks were defamatory per se and per quod. ABC argued that the statements were substantially true and that Trump was collaterally estopped from contesting their veracity due to prior court rulings. They also contended that Stephanopoulos’s comments were protected under the fair report privilege in Florida.
Chief Judge Cecilia Altonaga, however, denied ABC’s motion to dismiss. Judge Altonaga noted that Trump’s countersuit against E. Jean Carroll, and the subsequent court rulings, did not preclude Trump from contesting the truthfulness of Stephanopoulos’s statements. The judge emphasized that the jury had not found Trump liable for rape, which invalidated ABC’s fair report defense. You can view the decision here.
This decision allows Trump’s lawsuit to proceed, bringing to light further scrutiny over the veracity of media reporting in high-profile cases. For those interested, the docket for Trump v. ABC is available for review.
For a comprehensive analysis, please refer to the original article on Above the Law.