What Did You Say?

By: Mandy Matthews | July 2, 2025

Read more at https://libertyonenews.com/trump-wins-multi-million-dollar-defamation-lawsuit-against-cbs/#google_vignette

Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, confirmed on Wednesday it will pay $16 million to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the handling of a “60 Minutes” interview – funds that will go to Trump’s future presidential library rather than to him directly.

Trump originally sued in October, demanding $10 billion over claims that CBS deceptively edited an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to favor the Democratic Party. He later amended the claim to $20 billion in February.

Paramount’s $16 million settlement, disclosed Wednesday, stems from mediation initiated in April. It explicitly excludes any apology or expression of regret from the network.

In a separate move to increase transparency, Paramount agreed that future “60 Minutes” interviews with U.S. presidential candidates will be accompanied by released transcripts, redacted only for legal or security reasons.

CBS has repeatedly maintained that the editing in question was routine and lawful. The lawsuit centered on CBS airing two versions of Harris’s response on Israel and the Israel–Hamas war—one brief and another more forceful—before and after the presidential race.

Paramount, which previously sought dismissal of the lawsuit as “completely without merit,” opted for settlement to avoid a protracted court battle and to clear regulatory hurdles linked to its pending $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

The Trump lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act, asserting that CBS’s editing constituted false and misleading commercial conduct.

Paramount’s decision is part of a growing pattern: Disney-owned ABC News paid $15 million and issued a public apology in December, while Meta agreed to pay about $25 million in January—both in agreements to address Trump’s claims.

The “60 Minutes” controversy triggered internal upheaval: Executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April, followed by CBS News President Wendy McMahon in May, amid staff concerns over editorial independence and corporate intervention.

Analysts warn that such settlements may threaten journalistic integrity by emboldening political figures to deploy litigation as leverage—rolling back hard‑won press freedoms.

Paramount’s board, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, reportedly weighed settling for up to $20 million internally, mindful of both merger risks and potential regulatory scrutiny.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who must sign off on the Skydance transaction, has initiated a probe into whether CBS’s edits met the threshold for “news-distortion,” signaling deeper scrutiny of broadcast standards.

With this settlement, Reuters notes, Paramount aims to sanitize its legal slate ahead of merger approval—while Trump continues to pursue additional legal claims against media outlets