Paramount Global settles Trump’s ’60 minutes’ lawsuit for $16 million
Film production giant Paramount Global, the owner of CBS News, has agreed to a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump to resolve a lawsuit concerning a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.
This settlement, announced late Tuesday, involves the allocation of funds to Trump’s future presidential library, and it does not include an apology from Paramount.
Trump had file a lawsuit over Paramount’s editing of an interview with Harris on its ‘60 Minutes’ programme.
As part of his fight back against mainstream media following his reelection in 2024, Trump had filed a lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of editing out some responses from Ms Harris to favour the former lawmaker in the 2024 presidential election, which the American leader alleged created an unfair competition.
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Despite many legal experts arguing that the lawsuit lacked merits, Paramount announced on Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with Trump, as opposed to pursuing the case in trial, which could create a potential hurdle to completing a multibillion-dollar sale of the company to the Hollywood studio Skydance.
The sale would require the Trump administration’s approval before it can be completed.
The settlement has drawn criticism from First Amendment advocates, who view the lawsuit as frivolous. The Freedom of the Press Foundation has expressed concerns and considered legal action. The controversy surrounding the lawsuit and the potential settlement led to the resignations of “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News and Stations chief Wendy McMahon.
According to the New York Times, the payment includes Trump’s legal fees and costs, noting that the $16 million, minus the legal fees, will be paid to the politician’s future presidential library.
The details of the settlement were agreed after both parties worked through the weekend ahead of a court deadline to commence discovery.
Paramount also agreed to release written transcripts of future ‘60 Minutes’ interviews with presidential candidates.
This is the latest win for Trump in his legal battle against American media corporations after ABC News, in December last year, agreed to pay him over $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that he had been found civilly liable for raping writer Jean Carroll.
