Paramount, Trump settle Harris interview lawsuit for $16 million
By : Krishna Mishra
International Desk, July 2 (EFE).- Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to US President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit over a 2024 CBS interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which Trump claimed was manipulated.
In a statement cited by US media, the company said it preferred to settle rather than fight what it called a "baseless" lawsuit. Trump initially sought $10 billion in damages, later raising the demand to $20 billion. The settlement does not include the apology Trump requested. It stipulates that the money will not go directly or indirectly to the president, but instead to his future presidential library, which has yet to be built.
Paramount also agreed that 60 Minutes, the program that aired the Harris interview, will publish transcripts of interviews with US presidential candidates after they are broadcast. The agreement removes what Paramount hopes was the final obstacle to its merger with Skydance Media. The $8 billion merger, postponed for 90 days on April 8, is set to close on July 7, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Trump technically has the authority to block the deal.
The merger would create a major new force in Hollywood, marking the exit of the Redstone family as majority shareholders of Paramount. Billionaire Larry Ellison will take control of Paramount Global once the merger is complete. Skydance is led by his son, David Ellison. The deal has already been approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the European Commission; only FCC approval remains.
Trump filed the lawsuit in November in a Texas court, accusing 60 Minutes of deceiving voters by airing two different versions of the Harris interview. Paramount said the suit was an affront to First Amendment protections for free speech. In May, Paramount offered $15 million to settle, but Trump's team sought more than $25 million. Trump's lawyers called the final agreement "another victory for the American people," saying it showed the media's responsibility for spreading false information. Other companies, including Disney (owner of ABC News) and Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), have previously reached settlements with Trump's team over similar claims. EFE agf-sk