What court cases and legal filings detail allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump?
Executive summary
A series of civil lawsuits and court filings have placed allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump into formal legal records, most notably the E. Jean Carroll defamation and sexual‑battery litigation that produced a multi‑million dollar judgment affirmed on appeal [1] [2] [3]. Other suits and filings—some resolved, some withdrawn or settled—include defamation claims tied to public denials (Summer Zervos), a short‑lived battery complaint by Alva Johnson, historical civil claims such as Jill Harth’s, and a cluster of media‑compiled accusations that have never resulted in criminal charges [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. E. Jean Carroll — two federal cases that became a legal landmark
E. Jean Carroll sued Trump first for defamation in 2019 and later again under New York’s Adult Survivors Act to add a sexual‑assault/battery claim; a Manhattan jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded damages that federal courts have largely upheld on appeal, leading to a roughly $5 million judgment affirmed by the Second Circuit [1] [2] [3]. The litigation produced extensive court filings and opinions—including district court rulings on admissibility of other‑acts testimony (Natasha Stoynoff, Jessica Leeds) and written orders addressing presidential‑immunity and evidentiary issues—that are central source documents for the Carroll allegations [8] [9] [10].
2. Summer Zervos — a defamation suit that proceeded, then was withdrawn
Former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos sued Trump in 2017 for defamation after he denied her claim that he groped and kissed her in 2007; New York courts allowed her defamation case to proceed and the state appellate court rejected Trump’s attempts to block discovery, but Zervos later withdrew the case before a deposition was taken and without accepting payment, according to her lawyers [4] [5] [6]. The Zervos filings are a public record of an allegation that was litigated at the pleading and discovery stage rather than adjudicated at trial [4].
3. Other civil filings: Alva Johnson, Jill Harth, “Jane Doe/Katie Johnson” and dozens of media‑reported claims
Alva Johnson filed a lawsuit alleging Trump forcibly kissed her at a 2016 rally; courts dismissed the complaint without prejudice and Johnson ultimately did not amend, effectively ending that civil case [4]. Jill Harth’s 1997 lawsuit alleging groping and attempted rape in the early 1990s was filed and later withdrawn after parallel settlement activity, and an anonymous “Jane Doe” lawsuit (often reported as Katie Johnson) alleging sexual abuse at Jeffrey Epstein’s apartment was filed and later dropped—each matter leaves a public paper trail even where litigation did not reach trial [6] [7]. Beyond formal filings, investigative reporting and books have compiled dozens of women’s allegations going back decades, which have informed complaints and public testimony even when they did not become separate lawsuits [11] [12] [7].
4. How courts treated “other acts,” evidence rules, and damages
Courts in the Carroll litigation admitted testimony from other women and a 2005 recording under Federal Rules of Evidence provisions permitting certain propensity evidence in sexual‑assault cases; appellate opinions reviewed those evidentiary rulings and affirmed the jury’s awards as legally supportable, making those opinions a key source for understanding how such allegations were litigated and weighed [2] [9]. The district court’s itemized damages (compensatory and punitive amounts for both sexual battery and defamation) and appellate affirmances provide the clearest judicial statements about liability—even as these remain civil findings, not criminal convictions [1] [3].
5. What the public record does and does not show, and lingering legal questions
The public court record includes multiple civil complaints, judicial opinions, trial transcripts, and appellate decisions that document specific allegations, defenses, evidentiary rulings, and monetary relief; however, several historical accusations reported in media accounts never generated filed lawsuits or were withdrawn, and no criminal prosecution of Trump on these sexual‑misconduct claims appears in the provided reporting [11] [7] [6]. Important unresolved legal questions include ongoing appeals, the extent to which evidentiary rulings about other‑acts can be used in future suits, and the gap between civil adjudication and criminal accountability, as reflected in the filings and opinions assembled in the Carroll and related dockets [2] [8] [10].
Conclusion
The strongest, most fully litigated allegations in the public court record are embodied in the Carroll litigation and its appellate follow‑up, while other suits (Zervos, Johnson, Harth and a range of media‑reported accusations) populate court dockets and reporting at varying stages of resolution; readers seeking primary documents should consult the Carroll district and appellate opinions, individual complaint filings, and contemporaneous trial records for the fullest, source‑based account [1] [8] [2].