What criminal charges has Donald Trump faced related to sexual assault or misconduct?
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Executive summary
Donald Trump has been found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll case, a jury awarding $5 million in May 2023 and appellate courts upholding that verdict through 2024–2025 [1] [2]. Available sources do not report any criminal convictions against Trump for sexual assault; most reporting distinguishes civil liability from criminal charges and notes many public allegations without resulting criminal prosecutions [3] [4].
1. Civil verdict vs. criminal charges — the key legal distinction
The strongest publicly documented legal development tied to sexual misconduct is a civil jury finding that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed columnist E. Jean Carroll, resulting in a $5 million judgment that was upheld by the Second Circuit [1] [5]. Civil liability does not equate to criminal conviction; the Carroll case was brought under New York civil statutes (including the Adult Survivors Act) and sought damages, not prison time [6] [2]. Reporting and court documents emphasize that the verdict was a civil remedy, even as the jury specifically found Trump liable for sexual abuse under state law [4] [2].
2. Appeals and continued litigation — what courts said
Trump appealed the Carroll verdict and argued several evidentiary and procedural errors; the Second Circuit rejected those arguments and affirmed the $5 million award in late 2024, with further orders and opinions continuing into 2025 as Trump sought additional review [1] [5]. Media coverage shows Trump has continued to challenge the rulings, including seeking review by the U.S. Supreme Court as recently as 2025 [7]. Court rulings repeatedly allowed evidence of other alleged assaults and the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape under federal evidentiary rules for sexual-assault cases [5] [1].
3. Allegations beyond Carroll — dozens of public claims, few prosecutions
Since the 1980s and especially after 2016, numerous women have publicly accused Trump of unwanted kissing, groping, or other misconduct; reporting counts vary but place the number of accusers in the dozens [8] [9]. Most of these allegations led to media stories, civil suits or public claims rather than criminal charges. Investigative timelines compiled by outlets note many allegations but also explicitly state that “no charges were filed” in numerous instances, underscoring the difference between public accusation and criminal prosecution [3].
4. Cases that proceeded — civil windows and statutes matter
E. Jean Carroll’s ability to sue for the mid‑1990s encounter was enabled by the Adult Survivors Act in New York, which temporarily revived certain civil claims otherwise barred by statutes of limitation; that legislative context is central to why the Carroll suit advanced and resulted in damages [6] [2]. Other civil suits and reporting-driven public allegations have been subject to varying legal rulings, dismissals, or settlement efforts; available sources detail many accusations but not parallel criminal indictments stemming from them [3] [10].
5. What sources confirm — and what they do not
Court documents, jury verdicts, and appellate opinions confirm a civil finding of sexual abuse and defamation in the Carroll case and affirmances of the $5 million judgment [1] [5] [2]. Available sources in the provided set do not report criminal convictions of Trump for sexual assault, nor do they provide documentation of successful criminal prosecutions tied to the public allegations beyond civil litigation [3] [4]. If you are seeking any criminal indictments or criminal trial outcomes, available sources do not mention such proceedings in connection with these sexual‑misconduct allegations.
6. Competing narratives and political context
Coverage shows sharply divergent framings: plaintiffs and advocates present civil findings and dozens of accusations as evidence of a pattern of misconduct [9] [8], while Trump and his lawyers frame delayed reporting and evidentiary rulings as politically motivated or legally flawed and continue to press appeals up to the Supreme Court [7] [2]. Courts have repeatedly weighed whether evidence of other allegations and the Access Hollywood tape were admissible; appellate rulings in 2024–2025 sided with the lower court that admitted them [5] [1].
7. What to watch next
The Carroll case remains in appellate and potentially Supreme Court review as of the latest reporting in these sources, and any change in status (reversal, remand, vacatur or further damages) would materially alter the legal landscape [7] [2]. Beyond Carroll, media timelines and compilations document many allegations but, in the corpus provided, do not show criminal prosecutions following those public claims [3] [10].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the supplied reporting and court summaries; it notes verified civil findings and appellate affirmances [1] [5] and avoids asserting developments not documented in these sources.