Summary

Legal experts, including former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, criticized ABC News for settling Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit for $15 million, calling it “far from normal.”

The lawsuit stemmed from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ claim that Trump was “found liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case.

While New York law defines rape narrowly, Judge Lewis Kaplan noted, “In other words, [Trump] in fact did ‘rape’ Ms. Carroll as that term commonly is used and understood in contexts outside of the New York Penal Law.”

Critics questioned why ABC settled early, suggesting political deference to Trump.

    • Limonene@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      36
      ·
      2 days ago

      Kiss the ring. Bend the knee. Grovel for your dictator.

      They know what’s about to happen to them, and they’re allowing it to happen early, before he even takes power. Don’t support these collaborators.

      • takeda@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        2 days ago

        I don’t, the current events made me send recurring donations for ProPublica and NPR. I also plan to subscribe to a local newspaper that still looks like it has an integrity.

  • cybervseas@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    2 days ago

    The same reason media won’t ask the obvious follow-up questions: “we CaN’T lOsE aCcESs!”

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      2 days ago

      Can you imagine the badge of fucking honor they’ll have if anyone stands up to Trump and causes the network to lose their White House credentials, or their broadcasting license?!

      But noooooo. The business of news comes first, this we must uphold shareholder value.

  • gramie@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    2 days ago

    I wonder if this is just the new way to legally pay off Trump q? Anyone who sues immediately settles for large sums of money. You can’t even question it, because it’s how the legal system is supposed to work.

    Foreign governments and corporations can pay him off just as easily and blatantly as domestic ones.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    21
    ·
    2 days ago

    Of course it isn’t normal but when you have a sitting president said to the county that he didn’t trust the Justice system, that the system is political, and then selfishly pardoned his own son, well I guess we have a new normal now.

    • Soulg
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      14 hours ago

      You’re an idiot if you think Trump would be doing a single thing different had hunter not been pardoned. It changed nothing and hickey serious cares.

    • Lemminary@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 day ago

      And it’s all Biden’s fault, of course! 😂 Trump can do no wrong, even in the Lemmy comment section. Unbelievable.

      • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        Yup, good to know people on Lemmy are just as shit as reddit when they can’t wrap their heads outside of their ‘go team’ mentality and realize that criticism of someone they like isn’t saying the trump is a good person with no blame.

        Pathetic.

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          15 hours ago

          Bruh, Biden’s not even my president and I’m not American. If you read carefully, you’ll realize I’m saying you don’t need to blame anything on Biden because his pardons have nothing to do with what Trump is doing now. Trump is doing what Trump does regardless of what Biden does. The whole premise of Trump’s political career is breaking precedent.

  • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    2 days ago

    Critics questioned why ABC settled early, suggesting political deference to Trump.

    I’m not sure I blame them. After seeing the long list of cronies Trump is planning to install in government leadership on day 1, and the rhetoric he has been throwing around about punishing his detractors… I certainly would not want to be actively involved in any sort of legal dispute with the man right now.