How many civil lawsuits have been filed against Donald Trump by sexual assault or harassment accusers?
Executive summary
Available sources document at least two distinct civil lawsuits tied to sexual-assault or sexual-harassment allegations against Donald Trump that proceeded in court: E. Jean Carroll’s related pair of civil suits (one for defamation filed 2019 and a later sexual-assault plus defamation action using New York’s Adult Survivors Act) that produced jury findings and monetary awards (jurors awarded $5 million in 2023 and related orders of tens of millions on appeal) [1] [2] [3]. Other named civil filings over the years — including a 1997 Jill Harth suit, a 2016 Jane Doe/child‑rape filing tied to an Epstein party that was later dropped, and Summer Zervos’s defamation suit tied to her allegations — are referenced in reporting and compendia but vary in status (filed, dropped, settled, or dismissed) [4] [5] [6].
1. What courts have already resolved a civil claim tied to sexual conduct?
The clearest court resolution recorded in these sources is E. Jean Carroll’s litigation: Carroll brought two related suits — a 2019 defamation suit and a later claim that included sexual‑assault allegations under New York’s Adult Survivors Act — and a federal jury in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her, awarding $5 million (later appellate rulings and larger damage tallies are reported in subsequent coverage) [1] [2] [3]. Court opinions and appellate dockets (including Justia and FindLaw summaries) chronicle those suits and the evidentiary rulings that sustained the verdict against Trump [7] [8].
2. Other civil filings referenced in reporting — filed, dropped, settled, or distinctions matter
News outlets and summaries list additional civil matters tied to sexual‑misconduct accusations: Jill Harth’s April 1997 $125 million sexual‑harassment lawsuit; a 2016 federal filing by a “Jane Doe” alleging a 1994 child‑rape incident linked to a party that included Jeffrey Epstein (which was later dropped); and Summer Zervos’s defamation suit that grew out of her public accusations and proceeded until she withdrew [4] [6]. These cases have different procedural outcomes — settlement, dismissal, withdrawal — and thus do not uniformly count as ongoing court judgments against Trump [4] [6].
3. How many unique civil suits do sources explicitly name?
Available sources explicitly name several separate civil actions connected to sexual‑conduct allegations: E. Jean Carroll’s two related suits (Carroll I and Carroll II), Jill Harth’s 1997 suit, the 2016 Jane Doe/child‑rape filing tied to Epstein (dropped), and Summer Zervos’s defamation case arising from her allegations — at least five distinct filings appear across summaries [1] [4] [6] [5]. Sources also summarize that Trump has been accused by "at least 25 women" in media reporting, but that figure refers to allegations reported publicly rather than to civil lawsuits filed in court [5].
4. What counts as a “civil lawsuit” in this tally — and why totals differ
Counting civil lawsuits requires distinguishing allegations reported in media from formal court filings, and distinguishing filings that proceed to judgment from those dismissed, settled, or withdrawn. The sources make clear that some allegations never became lawsuits, some became defamation suits tied to accusations (e.g., Zervos), and some were refiled or revived under special statutes like New York’s Adult Survivors Act (Carroll II) [8] [1]. Consequently, simple headcounts reported in public debate vary depending on whether commentators count only filed complaints, only suits still pending, or only suits that produced findings or damages [5] [4].
5. Where reporting diverges and what is not documented here
Multiple outlets and encyclopedic entries reference “at least 25 women” publicly accusing Trump, but available sources in this set do not provide a definitive, source‑verified tabulation of how many of those accusations resulted in civil filings [5]. Likewise, the exact overall number of separate civil suits filed against Trump alleging sexual assault or harassment is not consolidated in these sources; they document specific high‑profile cases and note that other claims existed but leave a comprehensive numerical tally unspecified [1] [4].
6. Bottom line for readers
Based on the provided reporting, the most significant, court‑resolved civil matter tied to sexual conduct is E. Jean Carroll’s multi‑part litigation, which produced a jury finding and damages against Trump [2] [3]. Several other civil complaints alleging sexual misconduct have been filed over the years (Jill Harth, Summer Zervos, the 2016 Jane Doe filing among them) but have mixed procedural outcomes — dropped, settled, or withdrawn — and thus do not all reflect judicial findings against Trump [4] [6]. Available sources do not provide a single, definitive count of every civil lawsuit filed by sexual‑assault or harassment accusers against Trump; they document prominent cases and note broader lists of accusers without producing a complete tally [5] [1].