Which civil cases against Donald Trump resulted in judgments after trials rather than settlements?
Executive summary
Several high‑profile civil suits against Donald J. Trump have been decided by judges or juries after trials rather than ending in pretrial settlements; the most consequential are New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil fraud case, which produced a court judgment ordering hundreds of millions of dollars in relief, and the E. Jean Carroll defamation/assault cases, which produced large jury verdicts — all of which are now tied up in appeals [1] [2] [3].
1. The New York civil‑fraud case: a judicial judgment that threatens the empire
New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil fraud lawsuit proceeded to trial after a lengthy investigation and pretrial rulings, and Judge Arthur Engoron issued rulings and a damages judgment totaling more than $450 million — including disgorgement and prejudgment interest — along with business‑restriction remedies that go beyond money damages; the office’s press release summarizes the post‑trial orders and the ban on seeking New York bank loans for several years [1]. Reporting by the AP and Reuters tracks the trial testimony, the judge’s earlier partial summary judgment finding fraud before the full remedies were set, and Trump’s subsequent appeal and posting of a bond to stay collection [3] [4]. That judgment did not stem from a settlement negotiation but from adjudication, and is now subject to appellate review [3] [1].
2. E. Jean Carroll: jury verdicts after live trials, not settlements
E. Jean Carroll’s two related civil actions against Trump resulted in jury verdicts reached at trial: a January 2024 jury returned a verdict that produced an $83.3 million damage award in the defamation/related proceeding, and combined with earlier rulings produced roughly $88.3 million in total awards that have since been appealed [2]. These were not resolved by settlement; they were the product of jury findings following live courtroom proceedings, and the Second Circuit and other courts have been involved in the post‑trial appeals and bond disputes described in contemporaneous reporting [2].
3. Other contested civil trials that ended in judicial rulings (wins and losses)
Beyond those headline judgments, other civil disputes involving Trump have been adjudicated at trial rather than settled: court records and reporting note instances where cases went to trial and judges entered rulings — for example, a 2013 trial against ALM resulted in a judge ruling for Trump after finding no valid contract existed [5]. Business press trackers also document a separate New York valuation judgment that earlier appeared as a $355 million figure in coverage before interest and further rulings adjusted totals; reporting emphasizes evolving numbers and judicial calculations rather than negotiated settlements [6].
4. Cases that have not (or not yet) produced trial judgments — limits of current reporting
Several high‑profile civil actions have not culminated in final trial judgments as of the sources provided: consolidated civil suits arising from the Jan. 6 attack (Thompson/Chesbro style litigation) have produced rulings on immunity and procedure but have not resulted in a final damages judgment from a full trial reported here, and many civil matters remain in pretrial or appellate stages [7] [8]. Where sources do not show a trial verdict or judge’s final monetary order, this analysis does not assert such a judgment occurred.
5. Appeals, bonds and political crosscurrents: why “judgment” isn’t the last word
Even when judges or juries issued verdicts after trial, Trump’s strategy has routinely been to appeal and seek bonds to stay enforcement — for the New York fraud judgment he posted a large bond to halt collection while appealing, and the Carroll awards have generated appeals and bonding disputes in the federal appellate system [3] [2]. Coverage from AP, Reuters and the New York AG’s office shows a pattern: trial judgments trigger vigorous appellate campaigns and political messaging from both sides, underscoring that a courtroom judgment after trial often marks the start of years of appellate litigation rather than immediate finality [3] [1] [4].
Conclusion: what counts as a “judgment after trial”
The clearest examples in the provided reporting of civil cases against Donald Trump that ended with judicial or jury judgments rather than pretrial settlements are the New York Attorney General’s civil‑fraud proceeding (resulting in a >$450 million judgment and structural remedies) and the E. Jean Carroll civil trials (resulting in jury awards totaling roughly $83–$88 million), with other trial rulings scattered across Trump’s long litigation history but many cases still unresolved or on appeal [1] [2] [3]. Where sources show only pretrial rulings, procedural decisions, or settlements, those cases are not counted here; reporting limitations prevent asserting outcomes not documented in the cited materials.