Paramount is paying $16 million to settle Trump's '60 Minutes' lawsuit

Donald Trump looks down at a phone while visiting the Miami Grand Prix — Donald Trump Clive Mason/Getty Images

Paramount has agreed a $16 million settlement over a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump.
The suit alleged that an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" with presidential rival Kamala Harris" was selectively edited.
Paramount said its settlement did not include an apology or statement of regret.

Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, it said late Tuesday night.

The suit, filed in federal court in Texas in October, accused CBS — owned by Paramount — of "deceptive editing" of an interview with Trump's presidential rival, Kamala Harris, aired on CBS' "60 Minutes.

The suit alleged the way the interview was edited "tipped the scales in favor of the Democratic party" during November's election, which Trump won.

According to the complaint, CBS aired two versions of the same interview — one on Face the Nation and another on 60 Minutes — in which Harris appeared to give substantially different responses to the same question about Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump's legal team described the discrepancy as "news doctoring," saying it was "designed to mislead the American people" and to make Harris appear more coherent and presidential.

Paramount's settlement

On Tuesday evening, Paramount said it had reached a settlement "in principle" to end both the Texas lawsuit and a threatened defamation case relating to another "60 Minutes" segment.

"Paramount will pay $16M in total, which includes plaintiffs' fees and costs," the company said in a statement. "Except for fees and costs, will be allocated to the future presidential library."

Notably, its statement did not include an apology or a statement of regret.

It also said that "no amount will be paid directly or indirectly to President Trump or Rep. Jackson personally." Trump's suit was brought in tandem with Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson.

It also agreed to release full transcripts of future 60 Minutes interviews with eligible US presidential candidates, though those may be redacted for legal or national security reasons.

Paramount also sought to distance the agreement from its pending merger with Skydance Media, saying the lawsuit was "completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process."