Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida denied a motion from ABC News and its anchor George Stephanopoulos to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit centers on claims made by Stephanopoulos during an interview with GOP Representative Nancy Mace, where he allegedly stated that Trump was found liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll.
The lawsuit, initiated by Trump in March, asserts that Stephanopoulos’ comments were made “with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
Trump celebrated the judge’s decision on his Truth Social account, calling it a “BIG WIN” against “ABC FAKE NEWS” and “LIDDLE’ GEORGE SLOPADOPOLUS.”
Trump further stated:
“BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA WILL BE FORCED BY THE COURTS TO START TELLING THE TRUTH. THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR OUR COUNTRY. MAGA2024!”
Trump was found liable for sexual assault and defamation of Carroll in May 2023, resulting in a $5 million damages award.
Although the jury did not rule that Trump had raped Carroll, Judge Lewis Kaplan later clarified that Carroll’s rape claims were “substantially true” and that the legal distinctions between rape and sexual assault were minimal.
Carroll won a second defamation suit against Trump in January, receiving $83.3 million in damages.
In their motion to dismiss, ABC News and Stephanopoulos cited Judge Kaplan’s prior rulings.
However, Judge Altonaga’s ruling highlighted a critical distinction between Carroll’s personal statements and Stephanopoulos’ representation of the jury’s verdict. She stated that it remains unclear if Stephanopoulos’ statements were “substantially true” like Carroll’s.
Judge Altonaga emphasized that her decision does not address the merits of Trump’s defamation claims but rather the application of collateral estoppel.
“At this stage, the Court only decides that Defendants have not satisfied their burden to show collateral estoppel should apply, and that collateral estoppel would not be fairly applied in these circumstances,” she wrote.
This ruling arrives just weeks before ABC News is scheduled to host a presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
While Trump had initially agreed to participate when President Joe Biden was still in the race, he has recently suggested that Fox News should host the debate instead.
