Has Donald Trump been convicted of any sexual assault or rape charges?
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Executive summary
Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted of sexual assault or rape in the sources provided, but a New York jury found him civilly liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered $5 million in damages; that civil verdict was upheld by a federal appeals court on December 30, 2024 [1] [2]. Multiple outlets and timelines catalog at least two dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment over decades, and reporting shows civil judgments and large defamation awards tied to those allegations [3] [4] [5].
1. Civil liability vs. criminal conviction: the legal distinction that matters
Available sources show a federal jury in New York found Trump liable in a civil suit for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in the mid‑1990s and ordered $5 million in damages; that finding is civil, not criminal, and was upheld by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on December 30, 2024 [1] [2] [6]. Civil liability means jurors concluded, under civil standards of proof, that Carroll’s version of events was more likely than not; it is not the same as a criminal conviction, which requires a higher burden, criminal charges, a prosecution, and a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt—elements not present in the Carroll civil case as described in the sources [1] [6].
2. The Carroll rulings: what courts actually found
The Carroll litigation produced two major rulings reported here: a May 2023 jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, with $5 million awarded, and appellate rulings upholding those findings and subsequent related penalties—including an $83.3 million award tied to defamation in a follow‑on proceeding—that appellate courts affirmed at points described in the sources [1] [2] [7]. The appeals court said the district court did not err in admitting evidence such as testimony from two other women and a 2005 recording, which the court allowed under rules permitting evidence of other sexual‑assault incidents in such cases [6].
3. Allegations beyond Carroll: breadth of public accusations
Reporting compiled by outlets and timelines documents accusations by at least two dozen women alleging non‑consensual kissing, groping, sexual assault, or rape going back decades; notable named accusers in reporting include E. Jean Carroll, Summer Zervos, Natasha Stoynoff, and Jill Harth, among others [3] [8] [4]. These are civil allegations and public accusations; available sources do not show corresponding criminal convictions stemming from the majority of those allegations in the material provided here [8] [4].
4. Criminal charges and outcomes: what the sources do and do not say
The search results and articles provided detail the Carroll civil verdict and appeals, and catalog many allegations, but they do not report a criminal conviction for rape or sexual assault against Trump in the material given. Sources note prosecutors dropping certain related cases for lack of evidence in other contexts and emphasize that many of the accusations are years old and were pursued civilly rather than criminally in the reports provided [8] [1]. If you are seeking whether a criminal court has convicted Trump of rape or sexual assault, available sources do not report such a conviction.
5. Why civil findings still matter politically and legally
Journalists and legal commentators highlighted the Carroll civil finding as historically significant—“the first time he himself has been found liable” for sexual assault in a jury proceeding—and noted its political consequences as he campaigned and held office [1] [4]. Appeals courts’ upholding of civil awards reinforces that the judiciary found sufficient evidence under civil standards to sustain at least that one allegation [2] [6].
6. Competing narratives and litigants’ positions
Trump’s legal team has repeatedly contested the Carroll verdicts, arguing evidentiary error and disputing credibility; Trump has appealed to higher courts and sought Supreme Court review of at least the civil rulings described [9] [10]. Carroll and other accusers frame their cases as survivors seeking accountability; courts and juries reached differing outcomes depending on legal standards and procedural posture, as reported [1] [6].
Limitations and next steps for readers: the sources I used are the set you provided; they establish a civil judgment finding Trump liable for sexual abuse by E. Jean Carroll that was affirmed on appeal [1] [2] [6], and they compile many other accusations [3] [4] [8]. Available sources do not mention a criminal conviction for rape or sexual assault against Trump. If you want confirmation about any criminal indictments or convictions beyond these sources, consult up‑to‑date court records or major news outlets’ reporting beyond the documents supplied here.