A federal court has denied a request from ABC News and George Stephanopoulos to delay key dates and proceedings in Donald Trump’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against them. On Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida ruled against rescheduling deadlines related to expert witnesses, discovery, mediation, and pretrial motions.
In her four-page order, Judge Altonaga addressed the request, which was made to accommodate attorney Nathan Siegel’s planned trip to Israel in April for Passover. The defendants had sought an extension of the trial schedule, proposing a new trial date of June 9. However, the judge was not convinced by Siegel’s argument that his travel plans required a two-month delay, especially since the trial is currently set to begin on April 7 and is expected to last only three to five days.
Judge Altonaga pointed out that Siegel could still attend the trial and travel to Israel afterward, noting that the trial’s short duration would allow him to celebrate Passover as planned. She stated, “Mr. Siegel can still travel to Israel for Passover, as he wishes; and add additional time after Passover to be in Israel for the requested 18 days.” Consequently, the request for an extension was denied, as the court found no valid reason for the delay.
In addition, the court rejected a broader request to push back all remaining deadlines due to the challenges of conducting discovery during the course of a presidential campaign. The defendants cited these challenges as grounds for requesting further delays. However, Judge Altonaga dismissed this concern, explaining that the court had already granted an extended discovery period and that the election had now passed, eliminating the need for additional delays.
The defamation case centers around statements made by Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” in March, where he repeatedly suggested that Trump had been found “liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll civil case. Trump is seeking damages from ABC News and Stephanopoulos over these remarks.