Chief Judge Altonaga handed President Trump a victory yesterday in his lawsuit against ABC and George Stephanopoulos.
During a March 10, 2024 interview of US Representative Nancy Mace, Stephanopoulos asked Mace about her endorsement of Trump despite the fact that he was “found liable for rape.” Trump sued, alleging that the defendants defamed him in light of a jury’s verdict expressly finding that he was not liable for rape under New York Penal Law. ABC and Stephanopoulos moved to dismiss on the grounds of “substantial truth” and the “fair report privilege.”
Judge Altonaga rejected both, pointing to the reporter’s reference to specific jury verdicts (“Stephanopoulos was not reporting on statements by Carroll or other commentators; rather, he was discussing the outcome of a legal proceeding in which the jury expressly rejected a charge of rape as defined by New York Penal Law”).
The case marches on.
Opinion excerpted below.
[34] Order Denying Motion to Dismiss on Scribd