Former President Donald J. Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News on Monday, arguing that anchor George Stephanopoulos damaged his reputation by saying several times on air that Mr. Trump had been found liable for the rape of writer E .Jean Carroll.

A jury in a civil case in Manhattan last year found Mr. Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Ms. Carroll, but found the former president not liable for rape. The judge, however, clarified later that because of New York’s narrow legal definition of “rape,” the jury’s conclusion did not mean that Ms. Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her, as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape’ .’

Mr. Stephanopoulos, who was named as a co-defendant, said Mr. Trump was found liable for rape during a controversial March 10 interview with Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina. During the interview, Mr. Stephanopoulos asked Ms. Mace, who has spoken publicly about her rape as a teenager, why she continued to support Mr. Trump in light of the outcome of the civil case.

Mr. Trump, who often galvanizes his supporters by attacking the press, has filed a series of unsuccessful defamation lawsuits against major media organizations. Federal judges have dismissed his lawsuits against CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

ABC News had no comment Monday. Mr. Trump’s lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.