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Which lawsuits accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct with underage individuals and what were their outcomes?
Executive summary
Several lawsuits have at times accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct involving underage individuals; the most prominent was a 2016 suit alleging rape of a 13‑year‑old at parties with Jeffrey Epstein that was dropped, and separate high‑profile cases involved adult accusers (not underage) such as E. Jean Carroll, where civil juries found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered roughly $5 million in one verdict and a total of $88.3 million across related suits [1] [2]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive list of every lawsuit alleging underage misconduct beyond the Epstein‑linked 2016 case and the document releases and reporting about Trump’s association with Epstein [1] [3] [4].
1. The 2016 Epstein‑linked lawsuit that named Trump and was dropped
In April 2016 a woman using a pseudonym (first “Katie Johnson,” later “Jane Doe”) filed a complaint alleging she was raped by Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein in 1994 when she was 13; a California filing based on those claims was dismissed for technical reasons and a later New York refiled suit was voluntarily dropped on November 4, 2016, according to contemporaneous reporting and summaries [1] [5]. Courthouse News and The Guardian report that versions of the claim were refiled and that the plaintiff and her counsel cited threats and fear in the lead‑up to public appearances before the voluntary dismissal [6] [5].
2. What the 2016 suit’s outcome means (procedural vs. substantive)
The 2016 litigation was voluntarily dismissed — a procedural termination, not a judicial finding on the merits — as documented in reporting summarizing the case’s dismissal and refilement history [5] [6]. That means available reporting does not include a final court determination accepting or rejecting the underlying factual allegations; instead the litigation track shows filings, refilings and a voluntary dismissal [5] [6].
3. E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits: adult allegations, verdicts, and damages
E. Jean Carroll — who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Trump in the mid‑1990s when she was an adult — brought two related civil suits, including a 2019 defamation case and a later claim for sexual assault/rape and renewed defamation; juries found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a 2023 trial and ordered damages, with combined awards across cases reported as $88.3 million and a $5 million verdict explicitly described in the May 2023 trial reporting [2] [7]. These cases concern allegations about adult conduct and are distinct from the 2016 Epstein‑linked complaint alleging assault of a minor [2] [7].
4. Documents and reporting about Epstein and underage victims — context, not verdicts
Major outlets and congressional releases later published Epstein‑related documents that reference Trump and raise questions about what he knew regarding abuse of underage girls; Reuters and The Washington Post summarize new email disclosures saying Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the sexual abuse of underage girls but never participated,” but those documents are not court verdicts against Trump and do not equate to judicial findings of criminal liability [3] [4]. Reporting distinguishes documentary revelations and political scrutiny from litigated determinations [4] [3].
5. Limits of available reporting and open questions
Available sources provided here do not catalogue every civil or criminal claim ever made alleging underage sexual misconduct by Trump beyond the 2016 Epstein‑linked lawsuit, nor do they show any criminal conviction of Trump on such charges; where suits were dismissed, refiled, or voluntarily dropped, reporting notes the procedural outcomes rather than conclusive factual rulings [5] [6]. Also, E. Jean Carroll’s successful civil suits concerned allegations from when she was an adult and are separate legally and factually from claims alleging assault of minors [2] [7].
6. Competing perspectives and motivations in the public record
Plaintiffs and their attorneys pursued civil litigation and public statements; Trump and his lawyers have consistently denied allegations in media and court filings and have pursued appeals and counterclaims [2]. Journalistic accounts note the political and reputational stakes — including campaigns to publicize documents or litigate for deterrence and public accountability — and also document that some filings were legally flawed or linked to controversial intermediaries, which critics used to question credibility [5] [6].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking definitive answers
The most direct lawsuit in the reporting alleging Trump engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor was filed in 2016 connected to Jeffrey Epstein and was later dropped [5] [6]. Other major civil litigation that resulted in damages against Trump—most notably E. Jean Carroll’s suits—concern alleged misconduct when the accuser was an adult and produced jury verdicts and appeals [2] [7]. For any additional claims, available sources in this packet do not provide further verified lawsuits alleging underage sexual misconduct by Trump beyond the Epstein‑linked 2016 filings and the later document disclosures about Epstein [1] [3].
If you want, I can: (a) assemble a timeline of filings and rulings from these sources; (b) pull verbatim language from the Epstein emails and the Carroll verdict summaries cited above; or (c) search for additional court records and news reporting outside the current set of sources.