Trump defamation lawsuit against ABC, George Stephanopoulos can move forward: judge
U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami dismissed ABC’s decision to dismiss former President Trump’s lawsuit against the Disney-owned network and its anchor George Stephanopolous motion to file a defamation lawsuit, allowing the suit to move forward.
The lawsuit stems from comments Stephanopoulos made in March when he falsely claimed Trump was “responsible for rape” in a civil case.
“A jury may find that there is sufficient background information after viewing the clip. But a reasonable jury may conclude that the plaintiff was defamed and therefore the dismissal was inappropriate.”
The former president trumpeted the ruling on The Truth Society, writing: “Today, the Florida Superior Court handed down a major victory against ABC Fake News and George Slopadopolous Jr. is a strong case! Before you know it, the Fake News Media will be in court and start telling the truth, which is a great day for our country!
ABC News declined to comment.
Stephanopoulos made the remarks during a tense exchange with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace on the Sunday show “This Week” in March.
After playing a clip of Mays discussing being a rape victim, Stephanopoulos asked her: “How do you reconcile your support for Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?”
“You have supported the election of Donald Trump for president. A judge and two separate juries found him responsible for rape and defamation of rape victims,” Stephanopoulos said, alluding to Trump accuser Jean Carroll in A legal victory.
The ABC News anchor remained defiant about the lawsuit during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May.
“Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though the judge said it happened,” Stephanopoulos said. “We filed a motion to dismiss.
“After a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape, Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in a later ruling that simply because Carroll failed to prove “rape within the meaning of New York criminal law, and Doesn’t mean she failed to prove” that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her, as many people generally understand the word ‘rape’.” “
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
