President-Elect Donald Trump has recently received a notable victory in a defamation case against ABC News, leading to a commitment from the network to donate $15 million to Trump’s upcoming presidential foundation and museum.
This distinct legal triumph unfolded after ABC agreed to not only make the generous contribution but also cover an additional $1 million in legal fees. This commitment on ABC News’ part demonstrates a resolution to an issue initiated earlier in the year when Trump asserted that he had been wrongfully defamed by the network.
Zooming in on the nature of the defamation case, it originated from ABC hosting a particular interview where Trump was falsely accused of a criminal act. The interview featured Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a Republican, discussing another defamation issue related to the President-elect.
What was misleading about the interview was the language used against Trump. In the robust discussion, the host questioned Mace’s endorsement of Trump, hinting at a past legal matter against the President-elect that did not highlight the real nature of the case.
Importantly, it was asserted that Trump ‘had been found liable for rape by a jury.’ Refuting this, Trump upheld that he had been found liable for a charge of sexual abuse and defamation but ‘rape’ was not an applicable term in this particular case due to the specific legal definitions in New York at the time.
The issue of language precision and categorization in these legal contexts carries significant weight. It should not be trivialized and ABC’s reporting was misleading in this regard. This distortion of facts was the primary cause for Trump’s justified defamation case against the network.
Looking at the legal specifics, at the time of the trial in question, the law defined ‘rape’ to require specific physical actions, including vaginal penetration by a penis. Because these strict conditions were not met, Trump was, in fact, found liable for sexual abuse, not rape.
The jury’s decision to proceed with a charge of sexual abuse instead of rape was consistent with the precise language of the law, not an indication of failure on the part of the accuser to demonstrate the severity of her allegations.
Interestingly, New York’s law has since changed. The state’s definition of rape is now broader, dissociating itself from the strict requirement of penile penetration previously in place. This change was enacted shortly after the initial trial, with Governor Kathy Hochul thanking the accuser during the signing of the ‘Rape Is Rape’ bill.
However, ABC News’ misuse of the term ‘rape’ when discussing Trump’s legal proceedings remains a misrepresentation as it did not align with the legal definition in place during the trial — thus providing fertile ground for Trump’s defamation claim.
In response to the settlement, ABC News additionally issued a statement expressing their regret over the comments made during the March interview. An acknowledgment of this regret is now also visible on their website on the page featuring the initial controversial article discussing Trump’s interaction with Mace.
Overall, the ABC News settlement is not only a rare legal victory for Trump in his fight against media defamation but also a significant win, given the substantial donation and the legal fee coverage, which is no small change in the media landscape.
Though respected experts in media law posited that ABC could have continued their legal battle, the settlement indicates a clear acknowledgement of the network’s error. This outcome sends a powerful message, highlighting the need for media accuracy, especially when addressing public figures such as Mr. Trump.