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How many sexual misconduct lawsuits has Donald Trump faced?
Executive summary
Public reporting and compiled timelines show dozens of women have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct since the 1970s, and several of those accusations produced civil lawsuits; however, sources disagree on an exact count and often distinguish between public accusations and formal lawsuits (for example, “at least 26” or “28” accused women are cited) [1] [2]. The most high‑profile litigation resulted in E. Jean Carroll winning a civil verdict (a $5 million award in 2023, later followed by additional damages) and multiple related suits and appeals; other claims produced earlier civil filings that were settled, dropped, or remain disputed [3] [4] [5].
1. How many women have accused Trump — accusation totals versus lawsuits
Counting public accusations is different from counting formal lawsuits. Business Insider and other outlets have reported “at least 26” women accusing Trump of sexual misconduct, while some timelines and encyclopedic summaries put the number higher (about 28 or more), reflecting ongoing reporting and new claims over years [1] [2]. These tallies compile allegations reported in media and books; they are not a one‑to‑one match with the number of civil suits filed against him [1] [6].
2. Lawsuits that reached verdicts or large public rulings — the Carroll cases
The E. Jean Carroll litigation is the clearest example of a suit that produced a jury finding and monetary awards. A Manhattan jury in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and awarded $5 million; later proceedings and a separate verdict ordered additional damages (reported as $83.3 million in January 2024 in some accounts), and Carroll’s related suits and appeals have continued through the courts [3] [5] [4]. Reporting notes Trump sought higher‑court review of these rulings [7] [8].
3. Other cases that were filed, settled, or withdrawn
Beyond Carroll, reporting documents several other legal actions: for example, Jill Harth filed suit in 1997 alleging sexual harassment and breach of contract but settled and dropped parts of the claim; Summer Zervos brought defamation litigation after Trump denied her allegations and later withdrew that defamation case in 2021; Ivana Trump raised a rape claim during their 1990 divorce proceedings but later recanted that claim in reporting cited by timelines [2]. Some lawsuits were settled, some withdrawn, and some remain referenced in media timelines rather than live docket entries [2] [6].
4. Why precise “how many lawsuits” counts vary in reporting
Sources compile different subsets of incidents: some include only suits that were formally filed, others include public accusations that never became suits, and still others include linked defamation suits (filed by accusers) or counter‑litigation. Databases and timelines mix civil suits for assault or battery, defamation suits triggered by denials, and older divorce‑related claims, producing variable totals in articles and reference pages [9] [2] [6].
5. What the authoritative sources emphasize about legal outcomes
Journalistic and legal reporting emphasize that, despite many accusations, E. Jean Carroll’s verdict is unique in producing a jury finding of liability for sexual abuse; many other allegations resulted in settlements, dropped suits, or remained allegations without a jury ruling [10] [3]. Reporting also notes that some suits invoked newer state laws (e.g., New York’s Adult Survivors Act) to revive stale claims into civil court, affecting which matters reached trial [4].
6. Conflicting framings and potential agendas in sources
Different outlets frame the record to suit editorial aims: advocacy pieces and academic calls for inquiries treat the pattern of accusations as part of a systemic problem and urge formal investigation [11], while other coverage focuses narrowly on legal outcomes and pendency of appeals or denials from Trump’s team [7] [8]. Readers should note that advocacy sources push for policy remedies, while court‑reporting outlets emphasize procedural status and appeals.
7. What is answerable from the sources you provided — and what is not
Available sources document dozens of accusers and several civil suits, but they do not present a single, agreed‑upon numeric count labeled “how many sexual misconduct lawsuits” Trump has faced when counting only formal filings instead of public accusations [1] [2]. If you mean “how many women publicly accused him,” sources commonly cite “at least 26” or roughly “28”; if you mean “how many distinct civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct were filed against him and reached some adjudication,” sources make clear the Carroll cases, Jill Harth’s 1997 suit (settled/dropped aspects), Summer Zervos’s defamation case (withdrawn), and other suits are part of the record, but no single source in the set gives an indisputable tally limited to formal suits only [1] [2] [4].
8. How you can get a precise, current count
To produce a defensible number, decide which category you want counted (public accusations, civil suits alleging assault/abuse, defamation suits tied to denials, settled vs. withdrawn cases) and then cross‑check primary court dockets and recent investigative timelines (e.g., AP, The Guardian, major news databases) for each named claim. The sources above are a start but do not provide a single definitive lawsuit count confined to one legal category [3] [6] [9].
If you’d like, I can compile from the provided sources a list of named accusers and the corresponding legal actions they pursued, grouped by outcome (trial verdict, settlement, withdrawal, ongoing appeal).