U.S President, Donald Trump
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit alleged that CBS News harmed Trump’s electoral chances by airing two separate versions of an answer given by then Vice President Kamala Harris during an interview for its program “60 Minutes”.
Trump claimed that the network’s broadcast was “deceptively edited” to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party.
He originally sought $10 billion in damages, later increasing the figure to $20 billion. Paramount Global decided to settle the suit after months of negotiations.
As part of the agreement, the settlement amount will be allocated to Trump’s future presidential library. Paramount also agreed to release transcripts of interviews conducted with US presidential candidates after they air, subject to redactions for legal or national security concerns.
The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret.
A spokesman for Trump’s legal team said the settlement was “another win for the American people” and that CBS and Paramount “realised the strength of this historic case”.
This is the second major settlement between Trump and a major news outlet.
In December, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump by issuing a public apology and providing $15 million to Trump’s future presidential library.
