They couldn't risk deposition. ABC News has been forced to pay $15 million as a settlement, with presenter George Stephanopoulos to issue a public apology after President Trump filed a defamation suit for comments asserting he was found “liable for rape.”
https://modernity.news/2024/12/15/abc-news-forced-to-pay-15-million-for-calling-trump-a-rapist/
JD Vance Offers Racist Joy Reid Some Sage Advice…
https://modernity.news/2025/10/03/jd-vance-offers-racist-joy-reid-some-sage-advice/