Paramount, President Trump Reach $16 Million Settlement Over 60 Minutes Lawsuit
The settlement, for $16 million, will be paid to Trump's future presidential library and also cover the plaintiffs' fees and costs. Neither Trump nor co-plaintiff Rep. Ronny Jackson will directly receive monies from the settlement.
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Paramount also agreed that 60 Minutes moving forward will release transcripts of interviews with any presidential candidates, minus any redactions dictated by national security concerns.
Paramount will not issue an apology.
The lawsuit, filed on Oct. 31 — just days before the presidential election — centered on CBS News' dissemination of two different clips of Democratic nominee Harris' thoughts on the conflict in the Middle East. A longer version aired on Face the Nation, while a shorter excerpt was used the next day on 60 Minutes. CBS News had always maintained that each excerpt reflected the substance of Harris' answer, and in February full transcripts were released to support that stance.
Ten days prior to filing suit, Trump called for CBS to no less than 'lose its license,' which is not really a thing. ('The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage,' the commission made clear in October.)
'I've never seen anything like it,' Trump told Fox News' Media Buzz on Oct. 20. '[CBS decided to take] the whole ridiculous answer out, and it was a long answer, and replace it [on 60 Minutes] with a much shorter answer that she did having to do with a totally different subject.'
'Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,' asserted an Oct. 21 statement from 60 Minutes. 'When we edit any interview… we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging, 21-minute-long segment.'
Trump's lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Texas Amarillo — where the lone judge is a 2019 Trump appointee — and made unusual use of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act, which is meant to keep advertisers from misleading the public about a product being sold.
The plaintiffs originally sought $10 billion in damages, and bumped up the number to $20 billion in February, arguing that millions of Americans 'were confused and misled by the two doctored Interview versions.'
After the suit was filed, longtime 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens announced his exit, saying it has 'become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it.' Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News and Stations, also stepped down, saying, 'It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.'
Paramount's settlement comes six months after ABC News agreed to apologize and pay $15 million to settle a suit brought by Trump for comments made on-air by George Stephanopoulos in March 2024.
Of note, Paramount's $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media is still awaiting approval from the FCC, which is now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, and recently let a soft May deadline come and go.
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