(Reuters) -A mediator has proposed that Paramount Global and U.S. President Donald Trump settle his lawsuit against CBS News over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris for $20 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The proposal would include a $17 million donation to Trump’s presidential foundation or museum, as well as […]
Politics
Mediator proposes $20 million settlement in Trump’s CBS lawsuit, WSJ reports
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(Reuters) -A mediator has proposed that Paramount Global and U.S. President Donald Trump settle his lawsuit against CBS News over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris for $20 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The proposal would include a $17 million donation to Trump’s presidential foundation or museum, as well as millions more in legal fees and public service announcements on Paramount-owned networks to fight antisemitism, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Paramount declined to comment.
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS in October, alleging the network deceptively edited a “60 Minutes” interview with then-vice president and presidential candidate Harris to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party” in the election.
In an amended complaint filed in February, Trump bumped his claim for damages to $20 billion.
CBS aired two versions of the Harris interview in which she appears to give different answers to the same question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit.
Paramount entered the mediation in April to try and settle the lawsuit. Paramount in May had offered $15 million to settle, according to WSJ, while Trump’s team wanted more than $25 million and was also seeking an apology from CBS News.
The lawsuit is seen as a major roadblock to the $8.4 billion Paramount and Skydance Media merger, according to some analysts.
The network previously said the lawsuit is “completely without merit” and had asked a judge to dismiss the case.
In April, Bill Owens, the long-time executive producer of “60 Minutes”, said that he was stepping down over concerns about editorial independence, according to a memo seen by Reuters. A month later, CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon also said she would step down.
(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)