How many civil sexual assault or defamation lawsuits have been filed against Donald Trump by women?

1. What the most prominent reporting counts as civil lawsuits

Journalists and legal trackers typically count separate civil filings: E. Jean Carroll filed defamation litigation in November 2019 and later added a battery claim under New York’s Adult Survivors Act in 2022; those related suits produced jury findings and monetary awards that have been appealed ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The AP and PBS recaps distinguish allegations (many public accusations) from formal civil complaints that were actually filed ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

2. How many women have accused Trump — and why that’s not the same as how many sued

Multiple outlets summarize long lists of accusers: Wikipedia’s summary notes “at least 25 women” have accused Trump of rape, sexual assault, or harassment since the 1970s; other outlets likewise list scores of allegations over decades ^{[1] [5]}. But those public accusations do not automatically translate into civil litigation: reporters emphasise that “more than a dozen” women went public while far fewer filed civil suits, and “none of those claims has gone to trial” until the Carroll case moved forward in 2023 ^{[6] [5]}.

3. Known civil cases highlighted repeatedly in the press

The most litigated and reported matter is E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump — treated as two related civil suits (defamation and a later battery claim) that resulted in jury findings and damages totaling millions of dollars before appeals; Trump has sought Supreme Court review and appellate relief ^{[2] [3] [7]}. The Guardian and CNN report Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a jury finding that he sexually abused and defamed Carroll ^{[7] [3]}.

4. Other named civil suits and claims referenced in coverage

AP’s roundup names additional women who filed or sought litigation: for example, Alva Johnson filed a 2019–2020 federal suit alleging an unwanted kiss and included claims beyond battery; other suits have been filed, refiled, dropped, or settled — and some plaintiffs later withdrew cases ^{[4] [5]}. PBS and AP note instances where lawsuits were filed and then dropped or where the plaintiffs did not take cases to full trial ^{[5] [6]}.

5. Legal and practical reasons fewer accusations become lawsuits or trials

Reporters explain statutory limitations, evidentiary hurdles, and litigation risks that limit how many public accusations become full civil trials. For example, Carroll used New York’s Adult Survivors Act to revive a battery claim; other cases were dropped or refiled, sometimes citing safety concerns or judicial skepticism ^{[2] [5] [6]}. AP specifically emphasized that, despite dozens of public accusations, “none of those claims has gone to trial” until the Carroll matter progressed — highlighting the gap between allegations and adjudicated civil liability ^[6].

6. What count you should report — and the caution journalists apply

If you count unique civil filings by women alleging sexual assault or defamation tied to those allegations, the safest, source-backed statement is that multiple women have sued — with E. Jean Carroll’s two related civil suits being the most prominent, plus other federal and state complaints that have been filed, refiled, dropped, or settled ^{[2] [4] [5]}. Available sources do not provide a single, definitive tally of “how many women have filed civil lawsuits” against Trump; instead, major outlets document dozens of public accusations and a smaller number of actual civil filings ^{[1] [6]}.

7. Bottom line and reporting limitations

Bottom line: reporting documents many public accusations (commonly cited as “at least 25” women) and a smaller set of formal civil lawsuits — with E. Jean Carroll’s cases the clearest, litigated examples that produced jury verdicts and appeals ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Available sources do not present a single authoritative numeric tally of every civil sexual‑assault or defamation lawsuit filed by women against Trump; to produce a precise count would require combing court dockets beyond the articles and summaries cited here (not found in current reporting).