Settlement clears path for company’s sale as legal controversy draws fire from press freedom advocates
The settlement, reached after two months of mediation, will direct funds toward the future Trump Presidential Library, covering legal fees and other expenses. Paramount clarified that none of the funds will be paid directly or indirectly to Trump himself.
“This agreement includes a full release of all claims tied to CBS reporting up to today, including the Texas case and any related defamation threats,” Paramount said in a statement. The company emphasized that no apology or admission of wrongdoing is part of the deal.
Trump’s legal team hailed the settlement as a major win, portraying it as a blow against what they described as media bias. “President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people,” said a spokesperson. “CBS and Paramount Global had no choice but to settle in the face of overwhelming evidence and legal pressure.”
The lawsuit centered on Trump’s allegation that the October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview had been edited to improve Harris’s image ahead of the November election — a claim CBS has firmly denied. The network maintained that the edits were standard editorial practice and did not alter the substance of Harris’s remarks.
However, Trump’s lawyers argued that the edits constituted “substantial news distortion” and amounted to election interference. They claimed the changes caused the president “mental anguish,” and at one point raised the damages sought to $20 billion.
Legal scholars and First Amendment experts largely dismissed the lawsuit as meritless, warning that the settlement might set a troubling precedent. “This was a textbook example of a frivolous suit meant to intimidate journalists,” said one media law expert, who called the resolution “a capitulation under pressure.”
Still, the settlement appears to be driven more by corporate strategy than legal defeat. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, reportedly advocated for a swift resolution to remove obstacles to the company’s proposed merger with Skydance Media. The deal, which requires FCC approval, is crucial for the Redstone family as they look to offload more than $400 million in debt tied to their holdings.
In a further concession, Paramount agreed that future “60 Minutes” interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates will be accompanied by official transcripts once aired — with redactions only for legal or national security reasons.
Ironically, the merger’s fate now lies partly in the hands of the Trump-appointed FCC chairman, who has launched an inquiry into whether the editing in question violated federal rules around news distortion.
Despite the settlement, CBS maintains that the original interview accurately represented Harris’s statements. Unedited footage of the exchange confirmed the quotes, though Trump has continued to assert that the edits misled the public.
“Her answer was horrendous,” Trump told reporters last month. “It could have changed the course of the election.”
With the lawsuit behind them, Paramount executives are hoping to finalize the sale to Skydance in the coming months. But the fallout from this high-stakes media clash — and its implications for press freedom — is likely to linger.
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