A federal judge in Miami has denied a motion to dismiss Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the ABC News TV network and one of its star journalists, George Stephanopoulos, concerning remarks made by the anchor in March that the former president had been “found liable for rape”.
In a 21-page ruling issued on Wednesday, the judge, Cecilia Altonaga of the US district court for the southern district of Florida, rejected arguments brought by the news division and its host. She said that a “reasonable jury” could conclude that Trump had been defamed, and, as a result, “dismissal is inappropriate”.
