(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Leftist news anchor George Stephanopoulos has been ordered to participate in a deposition next week regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against him and ABC News.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette Reid issued the order on Friday following a discovery hearing on the lawsuit, which Trump filed in March, as reported by The Hill.
Reid has also requested that Trump appear for a deposition, which is likely to take place in Florida. Stephanopoulos may appear virtually.
These legal developments stem from Stephanopoulos’s repeated and false claims that Trump was found “liable for rape” in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll.
Despite Stephanopoulos’s accusations, which lawyers have deemed defamatory, Trump has never been found liable for “rape.”
Carroll’s lawsuit, funded by anti-Trump figure Reid Hoffman, concluded with a jury finding Trump liable for “abuse.” Critics found the ruling baffling given Trump’s repeated denials and what many view as little public evidence to substantiate the claims.
Contrary to the facts, Stephanopoulos falsely linked Trump to the rape allegations at least ten times during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on a March episode of his show This Week.
“Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos falsely preached to Mace before questioning her endorsement of the now-president-elect.
“It was not a criminal court case, number one,” Mace replied, correcting the record. “Number two, I live with shame. And you’re asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim.”
Later in the interview, Stephanopoulos repeated his claims: “You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge in a criminal court.”
ABC News attempted to have the case dismissed in June, arguing that it was protected by fair reporting privilege, but U.S. Judge Cecilia Altonaga disagreed.
“A jury may, upon viewing the segment, find there was sufficient context. But a reasonable jury could conclude Plaintiff was defamed and, as a result, dismissal is inappropriate,” Altonaga ruled in June, according to Fox News.
