ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. The lawsuit was sparked by a botched report by journalist George Stephanopoulos, who claimed that a book author's accusations against Trump had led to a civil judgment. However, the book author, E. Jean Carroll, had not made any such accusations against Trump. In fact, Carroll had accused Trump of rape, and the lawsuit was a response to Trump's denial of the allegations. ABC News has since issued an editor's note on its website, expressing regret for the error. The settlement includes a payment of $15 million to Trump and $1 million to cover his legal fees. The development is a rare instance of a major news organization acknowledging and apologizing for a core error in its reporting.