It’s amazing that they caved on this, I’m not going to guarantee they would have won but it seems very easy to argue. They have the judge’s own words to back up their reporting. They have the definition of rape from basically every other state. They can have myriads of witnesses to argue about a common colloquial definition of a word. Again I wouldn’t say Ironclad but with how hard it is to prove defamation I have trouble seeing how they would have lost. They just straight up kowtowed. This is basically a bribe. Or maybe a tribute is the better word.

Not to mention for a public figure to win on defamation they have to prove “malicious intent.” No way this is malicious when it’s literally the truth and public record lol

when it’s literally the truth and public record lol

It ain’t and that’s the crux of the lawsuit. Stephanopolous said trump had been liable for rape when in reality he’d been found liable for sexual assault. Rape is a different charge.

It’s a subtle difference but it is one a veteran journalist would be expected to know, which is why the bar of him acting “with a reckless disregard for the truth” wouldn’t be unthinkable.

Morally, yeah, I’m with you. But legally, ABC was on dicey ground. Maybe could win but damn, that’d be a battle. Stephanopolous would have to, in court, claim he didn’t understand the difference between the charges which isn’t a great look for an anchor.