Trump reaches settlement with Meta for $25 million over 2021 suspension

Meta said Wednesday it would pay $25 million to settle a four-year-old lawsuit from President Donald Trump over the social media company’s decision to suspend Trump’s accounts after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, filed a notice of the settlement in federal court in San Francisco, where the lawsuit was pending. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone separately confirmed the terms: a $25 million payment from the company, with $22 million going toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library and the balance dedicated to legal fees and other plaintiffs in the case.

The settlement does not require Meta to admit wrongdoing, Stone said.

The White House declined to comment on the settlement.

The settlement was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Meta is at least the second major corporation to pay to settle a Trump lawsuit since he won a second term in the November election. In December, ABC said it would pay $15 million to close out a dispute in which Trump alleged that anchor George Stephanopoulos had defamed him.